Hath No Fury
by saiken2009
Summary: The Monkees thwarted the devil once. He did not take that lightly. Now he will recruit various beings to help him exact his revenge. How will the Monkees escape this time?
1. The Trouble with Girls

Author's Note: This story is going to be an Epic fic. I can keep pulling characters/creatures from other fandoms. Kudos to anyone who can pick out where they are from. Enjoy! Review and let me know what you like and don't like. And yes, all my fics are independent of each other. Should that ever change, I'll let you know.

Chapter 1: The Trouble with Girls

Micky packed up his drums after their show. They'd just performed at a dance club for a hefty sum. The owner seemed to enjoy their performance and invited them back for the following week during an open spot. Mike was working out the details with the owner and Peter was helping load the instruments in the car. Micky had no idea where Davy had gone to.

"Hey, where's Davy?" Micky asked.

"I have no idea," Peter answered looking around. The two of them walked back in the club to look for him. They bumped into Mike on the way and all three of them jumped and gasped.

"What are you two doing?" Mike asked. "I thought you were loading the car?"

"We were," Peter answered.

"It's all loaded," Micky added. "But then we couldn't find Davy."

"I see," Mike said. "I bet I know where to find him." They followed Mike back to the dance floor. Sure enough Davy was still in there standing in the middle of the floor talking to a tall blonde woman. Davy had stars in his eyes. Micky rolled his eyes.

"Not again," he said.

"We can't take him anywhere," Mike said.

"That's not true; we took him here," Peter joked. Micky looked at Peter and laughed. Mike walked over to where Davy and the girl were standing.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but we really have to be going," Mike said tugging on Davy's arm.

"Hey, Mike," Davy said. "Where did you come from?"

"I went to talk to the manager," Mike answered. "But now we have to go."

"Oh, hey did you meet Ariel?" Davy asked.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Mike said pulling harder on his arm and almost dragging him to the door. "Davy, we need to go home."

"Bye, Ariel," Davy called after her. "I'll see you later!" Micky and Peter stifled laughs until they got out to the car. Davy shot them each dirty looks. "Why are you two laughing!?"

"What happened to Mariah?" Mike asked. "You just went out with her last night and now you're already picking up other girls? I think this might be a record, even for you!"

"I can't help it," Davy exclaimed. "She's just so pretty. With her blonde hair and blue eyes. We have a date tomorrow."

"And Mariah?"

"Oh, she was only in town for a month. She went home this morning." Micky shook his head. Davy the love-struck puppy was at it again. They all piled into the car and drove back home picking on Davy the whole way. The following night, as Davy was preening himself in the mirror to prepare for his date, Micky and Peter exchanged a look with each other. The look was one of mutual agreement that they would dive into their concerned mother and father routine.

"You're mother and I have been worried about you for some time now, Davy," Micky said

"You're setting a poor example for your baby brother," Peter added in a high pitched voice.

"Guys!" Davy exclaimed trying to sound angry but failing due to the laugh he couldn't suppress.

"Guys, leave him alone," Mike said. "If he wants to date every woman on the face of the planet, who are we to stop him?"

"I'd say he's already about halfway there," Micky said.

"I am not going to date every woman on the face of the planet, Mike," Davy countered. "And I'm not halfway there either, Micky!"

"You sure?" Peter asked. "Let's see, there was Vanessa from the country club,"

"Angelita from Mexico," Micky offered remembering how Davy had almost been shot over her.

"Mariah last night," Mike added.

"Bettina the princess," Peter said.

"Lori the vampire," Micky added.

"Ellie at that haunted mansion," Mike added.

"Leslie the general's daughter," Micky shuddered remembering having to dress as a woman.

"Susan from the circus," Peter added.

"April from the Laundromat," Mike added.

"Hey, we all fell for her!" Davy argued. It was becoming harder and harder for him not to laugh.

"The other princess Collete," Peter continued.

"Let's not forget Fern," Micky cringed.

"Hey, she doesn't count!" Davy argued.

"Well, but see, she does Davy," Mike said seriously. "That's what we're worried about. You are going to get so caught up in a woman and forget all about us."

"It's not that we don't want you to be happy, Davy," Peter added. "Cause we really do hope you find a girl that you are really happy with."

"But we don't want you to forget your friends," Micky concluded.

"Relax, guys," Davy said. "That's not going to happen. I learned my lesson with Fern. Now I really do have to go. I'll see you guys in a few hours." Davy ran out the door before anyone could say anything else.

The three boys waited around for Davy to get home passing the time by practicing some of their songs or working on new ones. As midnight approached, they all grew worried because Davy had yet to return when he said he would at 11. Micky's mind flashed back to Lori and how horribly that date had turned out to be. He didn't want to find out his best friend had been turned into a vampire while he was sitting around the house doing nothing.

"Did he say where he was going?" Peter asked.

"Not to me," Mike answered. Micky shook his head.

"We need to invest in a tracking device on that boy," Micky said.

"Don't joke about that," Mike said.

"Who's joking!?" Micky exclaimed. "Who knows where he could be? I don't want Dracula as a best friend!"

"Dracula?" Peter asked confused.

"Micky, he's not going to turn into Dracula," Mike said. "We stopped those vampires for a hundred years."

"That's beside the point," Micky said. "Who knows what could be happening to him!" They all stopped when they heard the car pull up. They immediately moved to make it look like they hadn't been waiting up for him and were just busy doing their own things when Davy walked in. Micky cringed at the look on his face; he knew that look all too well. Davy was in love. Again.

"Davy, you're late," Mike said.

"Did you guys wait up for me?" Davy asked.

"No," Peter said.

"Yes," Mike countered dropping their pretenses due to the condition Davy was in. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Why would you guys be worried?" Davy countered.

"Gee, I don't know, but Micky thought you were going to come home as Dracula if you came home at all," Mike said sarcastically.

"Why would I come…" Davy started to ask as confused as Peter had been. "Oh yeah. We stopped Lori, Micky."

"Like she's the only evil creature out there who wants to hurt good-looking midgets," Micky countered.

"Guys, I'm fine, ok?" Davy said. "I came home, didn't I!"

"Yeah, but you were late," Peter argued.

"And you have that "I'm in love" puppy-dog look," Micky added.

"Well, that's because I am," Davy said smiling now. Mike rolled his eyes and threw up in his hands in exasperation.

"After one date!?" Mike exclaimed. "I swear Davy, one of these days you're going to get yourself in trouble and we won't be able to help you out!"

"I don't have to deal with this," Davy muttered angrily. "I'm going to bed." He turned on his heel and marched off to his bedroom. Peter jumped up to try and follow him, but Mike held up his hand to stop him.

"Don't, Peter," Mike said. "Leave him alone."

"But-" Peter protested.

"I know, Pete, but just let him sulk tonight," Mike answered. "There's no point talking to him when he's in a funk."

"We'll talk to him tomorrow, Pete," Micky said. "He'll be calmed down by then and more apt to listen to reason."

"I guess you're right," Peter said sitting back down. Soon after, all three boys were asleep in their beds. While they had encountered a few creatures that went "bump in the night", they were all currently blissfully unaware that some of those creatures were wide awake and plotting against them across town in an empty warehouse.

* * *

He waited in the shadows as a blonde woman entered the abandoned warehouse. She was late, but he would spare her his wrath if she brought him good news. He waited a little longer until another man entered the warehouse. The newcomer glanced at the woman standing there in the middle of the room with distaste. Sensing an oncoming disagreement that could end in a bloody mess, the man in the shadows emerged before the two could speak a word to each other.

"I trust you have good news for me to excuse your tardiness," he sneered at the woman.

"Yes," she answered. "It was just as you said. The boy fell for my charms immediately. It was like taking candy from a baby. He's fawning over me as we speak."

"Excellent," the first man replied with a sadistic smile before turning to the second man. "Now, on to part two of my plan. That's why I have brought you here. You are going to work with her to speed up the process. I also want you to make your specialty and feed it to three young men."

"Work with her?" the man protested. "Are you kidding me?! Her kind cannot be trusted!"

"I am well aware of that," the first man replied. "But you have my assurances that she will not double cross me."

"How can you be sure of that?" he argued. "Her allegiances don't lie with you. I was surprised the moment I walked in here that she was even here. Her kind only care about themselves."

"I have my reasons, pig," she spat.

"You must be pretty desperate to be taking orders from him," the second man continued. "What's in it for you?"

"None of your business!" she exclaimed whirling on him. In her anger, both men saw her true colors. Her face morphed into a grotesque display of rotten flesh and her blonde hair turned gray. Her teeth became rotten and disfigured. Her eyes became nothing but rotted sunken-in holes. The second man jumped back in fear as she lunged for him to try and strangle him. His face contorted as well, but more out of fear of being killed. His face became loose and wrinkled, his ears turned large and floppy, his nose resembled that of a pig and even his bottom teeth grew tusks.

"Enough!" the first man bellowed. The two creatures froze for a second before turning back into human shapes.

"Someone needs a facial," the second man said.

"Shut it, pig!" she snapped.

"I am not a pig!" he argued.

"Enough!" the first man bellowed again. "You will stop arguing with each other or I'll banish you both to hell! If you do your jobs well, you will both be rewarded. Both of you want something and I can give it to you. Now, you will help her with whatever potion she asks you to concoct so she can do her task and you will make the other potion and give it to these three boys." The man withdrew a picture from his pocket and showed it to the other man.

"How do I do that?" he asked.

"Be creative," the first man answered. "Work as a team for all I care. Make sure that only these three boys ingest the potion. I don't want the fourth afflicted. Just the other three. And I want it done in 24 hours."

"But the potion takes half a day just to brew."

"Then I suggest you get started now." To postpone any further protesting, the first man snapped his fingers and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

The next morning all four Monkees gathered in the kitchen for breakfast. No one said anything to each other for a few moments while they moved to prepare various bowls of cereal. Mike was the first one to open his mouth to speak, but Davy cut him off.

"Guys, you don't have to say anything," Davy said. "I'm sorry. I should have appreciated the fact you were worried about me."

"We worry because we care about you," Mike said.

"I know, and I really appreciate it," Davy said. "You guys were right last night. I said I was going to be home by 11 and I didn't get home until close to midnight. I thought about it and if it were the other way around, I'd be worried, too. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok, Davy," Peter said. "We forgive you."

"So what's so special about _this_ girl?" Micky asked with a smile on his face.

"Besides the fact that she's beautiful?" Davy asked drifting off into a sort of dream-state. "She's smart, funny, and has the most beautiful skin I've ever seen."

"Uh-huh, you said beautiful already," Mike joked.

"Sorry, she's just so…"

"Beautiful?" Mike, Peter, and Micky said in unison. Davy laughed.

"Well she is!"

"Maybe," Peter said. "But was it just me or did she seem a little…off?"

"What do you mean?" Davy asked defensively.

"I don't know," Peter answered. "She just seemed a little off. I don't know how. Maybe it's just me. I'll stop talking now."

"Let's just hope she doesn't turn out to be another relative of Dracula, ok?" Mike joked.

"She was pale enough," Micky said.

"She's not a relative of Dracula," Davy argued.

"Just take it easy with her, ok?" Mike said. "Don't move too fast with her. You seem to have a knack for getting into trouble with women."

"You think?" Davy asked.

"Yes!" Mike, Peter, and Micky answered in unison again.

"Just promise me that you won't go to fast," Mike continued. "Promise me you'll take it easy?"

"I promise," Davy said.


	2. Bad Cookies

Author's Note: Let me know what you think!

Chapter 2: Bad Cookies

The next night, however, Davy was once again getting ready for a date with Ariel. Mike sighed as he watched his friend combing his hair in the mirror. He really thought Davy was taking things too fast. Two dates back to back was a little much having just met the girl. He had to agree with Peter saying that something seemed off with the girl. Mike couldn't pin it down either and he wanted to tell Davy flat out that he should stay away from this girl, but knew that he couldn't. He didn't know what was up with the girl, if anything at all. And if he said anything without proof, Davy would only get mad and push him away.

"Davy, are you going back out with Ariel?" Micky said sliding down the spiral staircase.

"Yeah," Davy answered. "I'll take it easy, guys. It's just dinner."

"How is going out with someone two nights in a row taking it easy?" Micky asked. Mike tried to shoot Micky a look warning him to watch what he said, but Micky wasn't paying attention.

"It's just dinner!" Davy argued.

"Ok, Davy," Mike said before Micky opened his mouth again. They really couldn't control Davy and Mike didn't want to even if they could. "Just remember what we said about taking it slow, ok?"

"I promise," Davy said. "I'll be home on time tonight. I swear."

"If not I'm going to let Micky put that tracking device on you," Mike deadpanned.

"Excuse me?" Davy asked staring at Micky.

"Just go, Davy," Mike said. "Have fun, but be careful." Davy shook his head and waved as he left. Peter came in behind him carrying a small basket.

"What's that, Pete?" Micky asked.

"Someone left this on our front doorstep," Peter said.

"Who?" Mike asked getting up and walking over to Peter.

"Not sure," Peter answered. "Oh, there's a note!" Peter pulled a small piece of paper from inside the basket and read what it said to Micky and Mike. "It says 'To the Monkees. Please enjoy these cookies as much as I enjoyed watching you perform.' Ooh, there's chunky chocolate chip; my favorite!" Peter dove into the basket before Mike could stop him. He felt very wary about accepting any food when he didn't know who it was from. And the bad feeling he'd had in the pit of his stomach since the night before grew even larger at the sight of the anonymous cookie basket.

"Really?" Micky asked getting excited. "Is there any snickerdoodle? That's my favorite!" Mike grabbed Micky's wrist before he could grab one, but Peter had already taken a very large bite out of his own. "What's up, Mike?" Micky asked him staring at Mike's hand around his wrist.

"We don't know who these are from," Mike answered.

"So?" Peter asked around a mouthful of cookie.

"So, we shouldn't be eating things when we don't know where they came from."

"What, you think someone poisoned these or something?" Micky asked with a laugh as though the thought were absurd. Mike wasn't exactly sure why he had thought it was possible for that to be the case.

"Maybe," Mike said. Micky looked at him dumbfounded and Peter dropped what was left of the cookie from his hand.

"Are you serious, Mike?" Peter asked.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Mike asked. "What about those goblets that were lined with explosives meant to kill us?"

"That was different," Micky said. "That was because the guy wanted to take over the country and we were in his way."

"We were in his way because of a Davy and a girl," Peter added. Micky's face suddenly paled.

"You really think it's possible?" Micky said staring at the cookies.

"Anything's possible," Mike answered. "After everything we've been through, I've come to think that anything can happen. You don't think it's at all odd? That someone would put a basket of cookies on our doorstep and not tell us who they are? Just when Davy leaves for a date with a girl he just met?"

"It is a bit odd," Peter said. "And I did say that I felt something weird about her. I still can't figure out what it is though."

"I actually agree with you, Peter," Mike said. "I have no idea what it is either."

"So do I," Micky said. "What do you think that could mean?"

"I don't know," Mike answered. "But I don't like the timing of all of this."

"Well, Peter ate a bit," Micky said nervously. "How do you feel, Peter?"

"Uh-I feel fine," Peter said.

"So does that mean they weren't poisoned?" Micky asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure all poisons are instantaneous," Mike said looking at Peter hoping that he was wrong.

"Well, why would someone want to poison us anyway?" Micky asked.

"I have no idea," Mike answered.

"So what should we do?" Micky asked starting to sound a little scared.

"Again, I don't know," Mike sighed. "We just need to keep an eye on Peter, I think." Over the next hour, Mike and Micky did just that. He seemed to be perfectly fine for a while. But when he got up to get a glass of water for himself saying he was really thirsty, he dropped to his knees and clutched his stomach in pain. Mike and Micky were at his side in less than a second.

"Peter!" Micky exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Peter?" Mike asked. But Mike's stomach dropped even further when the only response he got was a painful groan from his friend.

"This is bad," Micky said.

"Peter, talk to me, what's wrong!?" Mike demanded again.

"Mike, we have to get him to the hospital," Micky said jumping up and grabbing the car keys. Mike swallowed his fear and helped Peter stand so they could get him to the hospital.

* * *

The man waiting in the shadows outside the home of the Monkees grew angry. His eyes narrowed and his body trembled. He would take his anger out on the man who failed him. With a snap of his fingers he disappeared with a puff of smoke. Within a second, he reappeared in the living room of a large house. The man whom he had instructed to make the potion and give it to three of the Monkee's was sitting on the couch watching television, but jumped with a rather piggish squeal with his sudden appearance.

"Wha-" the second man squealed.

"You failed!" the man boomed.

"I'm sorry," squealed the second man.

"Only one of the boys ingested the potion! I told you to make sure all three ingested it!"

"I tried!"

"You were stupid and careless! They knew the cookies were poisoned almost immediately because you made it look too suspicious! I should roast your head on a spit!"

"Please, there's more potion," the now whimpering man pled. "Give me another chance."

"They're on their way to the hospital. You've missed your chance."

"Why don't you just let me kill them?"

"Because I don't want them dead, you insolent fool! I want them to suffer!"

"You know my potion would have killed them," the second man said.

"Only if left alone and untreated," the man sneered.

"Why don't you want them dead?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but they humiliated me. If they die, they'll never feel the pain of what they did to me. I will give you one more chance. But not with the potion. The doctors will be able to give them medications to stop the effects before they suffer too long, even if the doctors don't know what the cause is. But there are other things you can do to redeem yourself. Come with me." Before the whimpering man had a chance to protest, he snapped his fingers and both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Micky ran into the hospital to find the nearest nurse while Mike helped Peter into the hospital. Micky looked around once he made it into the main lobby, but he didn't see anybody right away. Luckily before he could dart off to another area, a short woman walked through a door at the end of the hallway. Micky ran toward her, startling her and making her drop her clipboard she was carrying.

"Miss, my friend is outside and something happened to him and he's sick," Micky started. He didn't realize how fast he was talking until she looked at him perplexed.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked. Micky took a deep breath before he started again trying to force his nerves to relax so he made sense.

"My friend Peter ate a cookie that we think was poisoned and now he's really sick and in a lot of pain," Micky said slowly. Just as he said it, Mike and Peter came in through the front door. Peter looked like he was about to pass out and Mike was having a really hard time holding him up.

"Oh my," the nurse said seeing them. "Wait here." She turned and ran back down the hallway. Micky darted over to his friends and helped Mike lift Peter.

"He threw up outside," Mike explained.

"I told the nurse," Micky said. "Peter, we're at the hospital now. You're going to be ok." The nurse came back with a doctor behind her and a wheelchair. They ran over to Peter and the two friends lowered him into the chair so the nurse could push Peter back into a room. Once they'd made it inside the room, the doctor began asking all sorts of questions while another nurse helped the first one get Peter onto the bed.

"What happened to him?" the doctor asked.

"We don't know exactly," Mike answered.

"He ate a cookie that we think was poisoned," Micky answered.

"Why would you think that?" the doctor asked.

"Well, just look at him!" Mike said sounding annoyed.

"What I meant was why do you think it was the cookie?"

"It was left for us on our doorstep," Micky answered. "We don't know who sent it to us. We have a knack for getting into trouble."

"So you have no idea what was in it?"

"No," Mike answered. "Neither of us ate any. Just him. Please, you have to help him."

"Juliette, get a blood workup done and put a rush on it," the doctor said to the first nurse.

"Heart rate is 180," the second nurse said. Micky nearly fell to his knees; he knew that heart rate was way too high.

"Boys, wait outside," the doctor said.

"No," Mike protested.

"He's our friend," Micky added.

"I understand that, but I need you to wait outside if you want me to help him," the doctor said. "I may have to do some things that neither of you should have to see."

"We'll be fine," Mike argued.

"Please wait outside," the doctor said. Juliette came over to them and pushed both of them out of the room. Micky didn't want to leave Peter's side any more than Mike did, but knew the doctor was probably right; neither of them should have to see some of the things the doctor may have to do to him. Satisfied the two would wait outside the room, Juliette ran off with some vials of blood she had taken from Peter. Mike paced in front of the door, but Micky's knees felt too weak to support himself and he sank into a chair holding his head in his hands. He spent the next hour, even though it seemed like much longer, trying so hard not to start crying. In that time, Juliette had come back to the room to help the doctor assist Peter.

Finally, a young man with a clipboard ran over to the door and entered. Micky hoped this man was returning with the results of the blood test they'd performed on Peter and with those results, they'd be able to help Peter. Mike must have come to the same conclusion, because he stopped pacing and tried to peek in the room through the window. Micky got up and joined Mike, but couldn't see anything because the curtains were closed and completely blocking their view. Mike let out a groan of frustration that equaled Micky's own. He hated not knowing what was happening to his friend.

Both men tensed a few minutes later when the doctor came out of the room. Micky's eyes went straight to a small spatter of blood on the doctor's coat that he was sure hadn't been there before. Micky felt his knees go weak again.

"Is he ok?" Mike asked his voice sounding very strained.

"He'll be fine now," the doctor answered. "He'll need to stay here at least overnight, though. If not longer. It would seem as though your friend suffered from a sudden and severe case of dehydration. I've never seen anything like it. Dehydration usually takes time to hit. This appears to have been sudden and very extreme. His system has almost no water in it at all. By all accounts, he should be dead. You two brought him in just in time. We are pumping him full of fluids right now. We also gave him a sedative so he can sleep."

"But he's gonna be ok?" Micky asked.

"He's going to be fine once we get enough fluids in him."

"What's the blood from?" Mike asked.

"He suffered a nose bleed. It's very common in cases of severe dehydration."

"Can we see him?" Micky asked.

"Not yet," the doctor answered. "Your friend also got a little sick to his stomach and we need to clean the room before we can let anyone go in there. We're going to move him to another room where we can keep him overnight. I suggest you boys go home for the night."

"We don't want to go home," Mike said. "I don't want to leave my friend."

"Alright. If that's what you boys choose to do. Once the nurses finish with your friend, you can follow them to his room. It should only be a few minutes. I'm going to change my shirt. If you need anything, just ask one of the nurses and they'll either help you or find me. I'll be checking in on your friend in a few hours." The doctor smiled and walked away.

"Oh no," Micky said a thought suddenly occurring to him as he saw the clock on the wall above the door to the room Peter was in. It was 10:55 at night.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Davy!" Micky exclaimed whirling on Mike whose eyes widened in fear realizing the same thing Micky had. "Davy doesn't know about the cookies and he should be getting home any minute!"

"Go!" Mike exclaimed. "I'll stay here with Peter." Micky didn't need Mike to tell him twice. He turned and ran through the hospital to get to the exit. He nearly ran into several people on his way due to the speed he was running. Everyone saw him and had to jump out of the way. One woman spilled the tray of coffee's she was holding all over the floor. Micky shouted an apology back to her, but kept on running without slowing down. The thought of what might happen if Davy ate one of the cookies killed him. It was bad enough having one of his friends in the hospital; he couldn't imagine what it would be like to have two. And the doctor's words rang through his head pushing his feet faster than he thought they could even go. _By all accounts, he should be dead. You two brought him here just in time._ What if Micky wasn't in time to save Davy?


	3. The New Plan

Author's Note: The creatures that the Devil are using are creatures from another television show. They aren't mine. And no one has visited the underworld yet. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3: The New Plan

Micky rushed home in the Pontiac weaving through traffic like a maniac, but he didn't care. He had to get home as fast as he could. He had to beat Davy home, or at least get there before Davy found the cookies and ate them. Why hadn't they just thrown them out? They should have destroyed them the minute Mike suggested they were poisoned. How could they have been so stupid as to leave them lying around? Thoughts raced through his mind about as fast as he was racing the car through the streets.

When he'd finally pulled up to the house, he leapt out of the car without even turning the engine off and raced over to the door. When he threw it open, he felt relief wash over him. Davy wasn't there. The house was empty. The basket of cookies was still sitting on the table where Mike and Micky had left it. Micky crossed the room and snatched the basket up angrily. It didn't seem like enough to just throw them away. Not after what they had done to Peter. No, they deserved a far worse end than being thrown in the trash.

So instead Micky crossed over to the counter and lined each of the cookies on the counter, even the one Peter had taken a bite out of. Then he grabbed the mallet that they had lying around the house to hold their Monkee meetings and started bashing the cookies into tiny little crumbs. He was making so much noise he didn't hear the door open behind him as Davy finally came home, so when he turned and saw Davy standing there with a confused and somewhat terrified look on his face, he jumped a little.

"Davy, you're home!" Micky said running over to him to give him the biggest hug he could muster. "And you're ok!"

"Ok, apparently you've snapped," Davy said. "What in the world are you doing?!"

"Destroying poisoned cookies, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you've lost all your marbles, that's what it looks like. And will you please get off me!?"

"Sorry," Micky said finally releasing his friend. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"After you left, Peter found a basket of cookies given to us by an anonymous person and Mike thought they were poisoned, but Peter had already taken a bite and Mike was right so now Peter is at the hospital and I rushed home to try and beat you here so you wouldn't eat the cookies and get sick like Peter and you weren't here so I destroyed them."

"I don't think I'll ever know how you can cram so much into one breath, Micky," Davy said shaking his head at him. "Wanna slow down and try that one again?"

"Sorry, it's just so crazy," Micky answered. "After you left, Peter found a basket of cookies on the porch. The note didn't say who it was from, so Mike thought that maybe someone had poisoned them for some reason. Peter took a bite out of one before Mike said anything, but he was right. Peter was poisoned and Mike is with him at the hospital. I came home to try and stop you from eating them if you came home and found them. But when I got home you weren't here, so I just destroyed them."

"Is Peter ok?" Davy asked suddenly understanding exactly what had happened.

"He's gonna be fine," Micky answered. "The doctors are taking care of him."

"Ok, let's go," Davy said turning on his heel and running for the door. Micky followed him and jumped back behind the driver's seat and drove the few minutes to the hospital.

"They said that he'd been dehydrated suddenly which was weird because they said that stuff normally happens gradually," Micky told him. "But they gave him an IV and are working to rehydrate him right now."

"So he's gonna be ok?" Davy repeated even though Micky had just told him that. Micky just assumed Davy was trying to reassure himself.

"Yeah," Micky answered. "They gave him a sedative to help him sleep and they are going to keep giving him fluids all night."

"Why would someone want to poison us?" Davy asked.

"We were asking ourselves the same thing. We have no idea." Micky pulled the car into a parking spot and the two got out of the car. Davy followed Micky into the hospital and up to the front desk. Juliette, the nurse who had helped them earlier, was there and smiled when she saw Micky come in.

"Your friends are waiting for you," she said. "Follow me and I'll take you to them." Davy and Micky followed her into a room towards the back of the hospital. When they entered the room, Mike was sitting in a chair next to the bed that held Peter. When he saw them enter, he jumped up and pulled Davy into a tight hug just as Micky had done.

"I'm fine," Davy said. "But if you guys keep that up, you're going to suffocate me."

"Sorry," Mike said letting go of Davy. "I'm just glad you're ok."

"So am I," Davy said. "How's Peter?"

"He's fine," Mike answered. "He just needs to sleep for the night. The doctor said he should be awake by morning and he's going to check then on his fluid levels. He said if they're good enough, Peter can go home."

"So we just wait now?" Micky asked sitting in another chair in the room.

"Yeah. We just wait." The three of them sat and talked for a few hours trying to decide who would want to poison them and why, but they didn't get anywhere. They simply had no idea who would want to hurt them. Finally they decided to just curl up in their chairs and try and get some sleep. Davy was small enough that he slept the whole night without any problems, but Micky and Mike woke up periodically throughout the night. Each time Micky woke up he felt a pain in either his back or his neck. A few times in the night a nurse came in to change Peter's IV bag and make sure it stayed fresh. He finally gave up trying to get any sleep around 5 am. Mike did the same about half an hour later. Both men just sat there waiting for their friend to wake up.

* * *

The angry man appeared on the outskirts of a wooded patch with the whimpering man. It was dark where they were and very cold, but he didn't care. He had long since stopped feeling the cold and didn't care about the darkness. He could see through it just fine. The same couldn't be said for the terrified man who now stood shivering and squinting through the darkness to try and see.

"What are we doing here?" the whimpering man asked.

"There's a woman in the woods," the first man answered. "She lives there. I want you to find her and ask her to make you a Metus potion. Then bring it back here and I'll bring you to the boys. Then you'll figure another way to slip them the potion."

"Why can't you do it?" the whimpering man asked.

"Because she won't do anything for me," he answered.

"But you're the Devil," the whimpering man argued. "You can make her."

"No, I can't," the Devil answered getting annoyed now. "She is beyond my reach. Besides, this is your chance to redeem yourself. And only you can find her. You will be able to smell her immediately."

"I'm not a bloodhound," he retorted.

"You may as well be. If you don't do this, I will find a nice, hungry Blutbad and deliver you to them myself! Now go!" The man cowered at the suggestion of his fate and ran off into the woods to do the Devil's bidding. Now he just had to inform the woman of his slight change of plans. He snapped his fingers and disappeared knowing it would take hours for the cowardly man to find the woman to make the potion for him. He reappeared in another living room in front of the blonde woman who had just taken Jones out on a date. She looked at him curiously.

"What brings you here?" she asked him.

"Change of plans," the Devil answered her. "The Bauerschwein failed me."

"No shock there," she answered.

"And you? Have you done what I have asked yet?"

"Not entirely."

"Entirely?"

"He is falling for me, but it seems as though he is trying to take things…how did he put it? 'Slow'. His friends seem to think he is moving too fast with me."

"Yes, they are quite the nuisance. How close do you think you are to getting him to abandon his friends?"

"I'm not sure anymore. It might be easier for you to start with another one. Tempt Michael with fame, perhaps?"

"Michael will not be so easily tempted. He is far too strong for temptation. The others are just as strong. David's love for love is the easiest temptation to tap into. Once he has left his friends, the others will be weaker. It's like breaking a link in a chain. You start with the weakest and the others will tumble after that. I need you to speed up your process. I need you to turn your charm up as much as you can. Make him fall in love with you. Make him desperate for you. I will be making sure the other boys are given the Metus potion."

"What? That is a very dicey potion to mess with."

"Not if made by the right person. The boys will be driven mad with fear and anxiety. Not only will it be fun to watch, but it will help push David away from them. When the time is right, I want you to show them your true face. It will heighten their fear and play on their anxieties. They will try and get Davy to leave you, which will only push him away from them. Once that happens and they are broken from the loss of their friend, I will move in to pry them apart even further, and you can do whatever you wish with the young boy."

"And you will give me what I asked for?"

"Yes. All the boys are at the hospital. Peter ingested the potion, but the doctors figured out what was wrong with him way too quickly. He will make a recovery by morning. I've no doubt David will talk to you about what happened to his friend. They are already suspicious of you as it is, but I don't know if they are going to voice their feelings to him yet. Honestly, I hope they do. Console him when he comes to you. That will pull him closer to you."

"With all due respect, I don't need you to tell me how to seduce someone." The Devil merely glared at her. He returned an equally icy gaze to the Hexenbiest. She averted her gaze and nodded her affirmation. Once again he disappeared to go back to the woods to await the Bauerschwein's successful return.

* * *

Peter awoke the next morning with a terrible headache. He wasn't really sure what happened or why his head hurt so much. He remembered eating the cookie and Mike's concern about it being laced with poison. However he didn't remember much after that. He remembered a sharp pain in his head and stomach. He remembered hearing the sounds of his friend's panicked voices, something he thought he'd probably never forget because it nearly tore his heart out.

He groaned a little against the pain in his head and opened his eyes. He looked around the room he was in and saw Mike standing above him and Micky on the other side. The room was very white and very bright. Peter blinked from the sudden wave of pain that coursed through his head. He heard the sound of Mike calling to him, but it was very muffled, as though Mike was talking to him through a wall. Micky's voice soon joined Mike's and Peter was able to focus on them better so he could hear them clearly.

"Peter, can you hear me?" Mike was saying.

"Are you ok, buddy?" Micky asked.

"I'll go tell the nurses he's awake," said the voice of his other friend now. Peter opened his eyes and saw Davy dash out of the room.

"Peter?" Mike asked again.

"What happened?" Peter mumbled. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Peter," Mike answered.

"That cookie you ate made you really dehydrated," Micky added. "The doctor said you lost almost all the water in your whole body in a matter of an hour."

"He said you were lucky to even be alive with how quickly it happened," Mike added.

"Well then I'm glad you guys brought me here," Peter mumbled. He was beginning to remember, but it was still all a haze to him. Davy returned with a doctor and stood at the end of the bed nervously watching. Mike moved aside to let the doctor tend to Peter.

"Hello, Peter," the doctor said. "My name is Doctor Burke. I'm taking care of you. How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," Peter answered.

"Yes, that's understandable," Doctor Burke answered. "You were severely dehydrated. I'll have your nurse give you something for your pain. I want to run another blood test to see what your levels are."

"Ok, thank you," Peter answered. The doctor nodded and left the room. A moment later, a young woman whom Peter assumed was his nurse entered.

"Hello, Peter," she said. "I'm Juliette, your nurse."

"Hello," Peter smiled at her. She smiled back at him and started working. Peter winced when she pushed a needle in his arm to draw out some blood. Then she took another needle out of her pocket and pushed this one into the IV attached to his arm. Within a few seconds he felt the pain in his head subside.

"Let me know if you need anything else," Juliette said. "I'll be outside. It'll take a few hours until we get the results of your blood test back. Then the doctor will be able to tell you more."

"Thanks," Mike said to her as she walked away.

"Is everyone else ok?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, you're the only one who at the cookie, remember?" Micky answered.

"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure," Peter said. He smiled when he heard his friends laugh. They talked over the next several hours trying to take Peter's mind off his situation. By the time the doctor returned to the room, Peter was feeling much better. He had no pain and was able to sit up in his bed without strain.

"It looks like you're feeling better, Peter," Doctor Burke said.

"I am," Peter answered happily.

"Your levels are all back to normal. I'm not entirely sure what happened and would like to keep working to figure out what the poison was that afflicted you, but I think you can go home once this last IV bag is finished. I will give you a medication for any lingering pain you may experience."

"Thanks," Peter said. It only took an hour for the IV bag to empty and when it did, Peter was excited to be able to go home. He really didn't like being stuck in the hospital and just wanted to go home. Hopefully they wouldn't have to deal with any more problems and they could all just get on with their lives. But Peter knew better than to believe that. If someone was trying to kill them, he doubted they'd really give up so easily.


	4. Happily Home

Author's Note: Let me know what you think!

Chapter 4: Happily Home

The four boys were all happy to return home with all four completely healthy. None of them could figure out who would want to hurt them, but they all knew it was likely to happen again. Mike had already phoned the police who'd said there wasn't anything they could really do as Micky had destroyed the evidence. To which Micky apologized, but none of them really blamed him for what he did. Mike knew he'd have done the same thing. If not more. Mike _did_ have a sneaky suspicion about Davy's new girlfriend, but he didn't dare say anything in front of Davy. Not without _something_ to back it up.

"Wow, Micky, you really did make a mess," Peter said as they walked in and saw the pile of cookie crumbs on the counter and floor.

"I was angry," Micky said.

"At the cookies?" Peter laughed.

"Well, we don't know who did this to you, so for the time being, yes, I was mad at the cookies," Micky answered. Mike shook his head and went to get a broom and dustpan, but Micky beat him to it. "It's my mess, I'll clean it up." Micky took the broom from him and started cleaning up the mess. Davy walked over to the bay window and stared at the ocean.

"You ok, Davy?" Mike asked walking over to him.

"Yeah, I just really want to figure out who did this to Peter," Davy answered.

"You mean 'us'?" Peter asked. "I mean, the cookies were meant for all of us."

"Yeah," Davy answered. "It just really bugs me. We've been through all the possibilities, and nothing makes sense."

"Well, not all of them," Peter said as Micky walked over to join them.

"Peter…" Mike warned him. He didn't want to go there just yet. While the three of them shared his suspicions about Ariel, none of them had anything solid to back it up.

"What is it?" Davy asked turning to face Mike and Peter. Peter had gotten the hint though and kept his mouth shut. Davy looked at Mike pleadingly. "Mike?" he pushed.

"It's nothing, Davy," Mike answered. "Forget about it."

"No, tell me," Davy said.

"There's honestly nothing to really tell you," Mike answered. "We don't know anything for sure."

"But you have a suspicion about something?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe about Ariel?" Davy asked. Mike froze. He didn't know what to say and really didn't want to upset Davy.

"What makes you say that?" Micky asked.

"Cause I think you may be right," Davy said much to Mike's surprise. "I have them, too."

"You do?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing big or anything. It's just the timing seems a little too coincidental, don't you think? And then there's what happened last night…"

"What happened last night?" Mike asked not sure if he liked where this was going.

"Well, I told her that you guys warned me to take things slow with her, and she seemed to get a little upset. She was talking to me about my career and how she thought I would be more successful on my own doing things like Broadway."

"Sound familiar?" Mike asked.

"Sounds like Fern," Micky said.

"Except Fern wanted to ride Davy's coat-tails," Peter said angrily.

"It's similar enough," Mike said. "Peter, Micky and I talked about it last night and we all get a weird feeling from her. We didn't put much into it because we barely saw her for 5 seconds, but with the timing of everything else that's happened…"

"I agree with you, Mike," Micky said. "Davy, when you left last night, there were no cookies, right?"

"Right," Davy answered.

"Well, they were there less than a minute later and she was picking you up," Mike said. "She was the only one around other than the four of us."

"And none of us left poisoned cookies on our own doorstep," Peter said.

"Of course not, Peter," Micky laughed.

"So that only leaves my date," Davy muttered dejectedly.

"Hey, don't blame yourself, mate!" Micky said wrapping Davy into a playful hug. "You're just a chick magnet. And that means sometimes you get the crazy ones!"

"I don't understand why she wants to hurt us though," Davy said. "There has to be a reason, right?"

"Not always," Mike said. "Sometimes girls are just crazy."

"I don't know, Mike," Davy said. "Why would she go out with me if she was just gonna poison me?"

"Good point," Mike said.

"What if she wasn't going to poison you," Micky said.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"She left the basket while picking up Davy. If she wanted to poison all of us, she would have waited until after the date or well before. Why would she leave it for all of us to get sick when one of us wouldn't be here?"

"So she only meant to poison the three of us," Mike concluded.

"Makes the most sense," Micky said.

"No, it doesn't," Davy argued. "Not quite, anyway. Why would she want to poison you three and not me?"

"Maybe she wants you all to herself?" Micky said. "You did say she was trying to convince you to leave the band, right?"

"She wasn't trying to convince me," Davy said. "She just brought it up."

"I don't think that matters much right now," Mike said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Davy conceded. "Why does this stuff always happen to me? Don't girls usually fall for drummers or guitarists?"

"Yeah, but you're British," Micky pointed out. "Chicks like the accent. It's exotic." Despite everything that was happening, Mike couldn't help but laugh. Micky always knew the best way to break the tension.

"So what do we do now?" Peter asked laughing as well.

"I break up with her!" Davy exclaimed.

"Not so fast," Mike said. "If she's crazy enough to poison us when she's going out with you, how crazy do you think she's going to get if you break up with her?"

"So what, Davy dates her forever?" Peter asked.

"Of course not, Peter," Micky said. "But we have to go about this very, very carefully. I don't want my best friend axe murdered because he broke a crazy chick's heart."

"Axe murdered?" Davy squeaked.

"Micky, don't do that," Mike said. "You're gonna give us all nightmares. While he's a bit extreme, he's right. She could flip out even more and do something worse."

"So what then?" Davy asked.

"Let me think," Mike said.

"What if we made her not like Davy anymore?" Micky suggested.

"What?" Peter asked.

"I've seen it in lots of movies! When a guy doesn't want to go out with a girl anymore, but doesn't want to break her heart, he acts like the grossest, ugliest, most vile guy on the face of the earth and she gets so disgusted, she breaks up with him! It's a win, win!"

"I think you watch too many movies," Davy laughed.

"Actually, I think he might be on to something," Mike countered.

"You must be joking!" Davy exclaimed.

"No, I'm not. When do you go out with her again?"

"Um…tonight." Davy answered sheepishly. "She's going to pick me up in about 5 hours."

"Dang, you really don't know what take it slow means, do you, Davy?" Micky laughed.

"She's the crazy one!" Davy protested.

"So we have to make you really ugly in 5 hours," Mike said ignoring their exchange.

"How do we do that?" Peter said. "Look at this face." Peter grabbed Davy's face for emphasis.

"Let go of me, Peter," Davy laughed.

"I didn't say it would be easy," Mike said.

"How is that going to work?" Davy asked. "She's already seen what I look like!"

"Yeah, but in the movies the guy always explains that he just didn't go through his beauty regimen that day because he wanted her to see the real him," Micky offered.

"You guys are really serious about this, aren't you," Davy scowled.

"Yeah," Mike said smiling. This could be a lot of fun. "Come on, you've dressed up as a girl before. This isn't nearly that bad."

"I don't know guys," Davy said.

"Would you rather be axe murdered?" Micky asked. "Hacked up into teeny tiny bloody pieces and buried in her backyard never to be found again?"

"Micky, I told you not to do that!" Mike exclaimed as a mental image flashed in his head. He tried to make it go away, but it wouldn't. He sighed and shot Micky a dirty look.

"Sorry, but it got the point across, didn't it?" Micky said.

"Yeah, ok," Davy said.

"Next time just find a less nightmare-inducing way of doing it, please?" Peter asked.

"There won't be a next time," Davy said. "I'm swearing off girls. Never again. No more girls for me. I'm done." Mike stared at Davy sure his brain had just misfired. Davy? Swear off girls?

"I think hell just froze over," Micky said.

"I'm serious!" Davy said. "I'm tired of being kidnapped and forced to marry some princess or farmers daughter! I'm tired of nearly being killed over girls! I'm done with them!"

"Davy, you're just upset," Mike said.

"Yeah, you'll get over this," Peter assured him.

"No, I won't," Davy argued.

"I'm betting this lasts no longer than a week," Peter said.

"I'd say a couple days," Mike offered.

"I'll take both your bets," Micky said. "And raise them. I say Davy falls in love again tomorrow!"

"Guys, will you please stop," Davy said angrily. "Let's just start working on making me look ugly."

"Yeah, that'll take us all day!" Peter laughed.

"What should we do?" Mike asked. Micky walked around Davy in a circle like a lion circling his prey.

"We start from the top," Micky said in a funny hoity-toity accent making the other three, even Davy, chuckle. "The hair. The hair is simply too neat and clean!"

"Yes, but how do we fix it?" Peter asked jumping in and imitating an assistant.

"Grease!" Micky exclaimed. "Get me grease!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Peter exclaimed and ran out to the garage they kept the car in.

"Next the face," Micky continued.

"Don't you dare touch my face!" Davy exclaimed.

"Don't worry, dear boy, it won't be permanent," Micky said never breaking his character. It reminded Mike a little of Rob Roy Fingerhead, but more prissy. It was funny on Micky, where it would be annoying on anyone else.

"I have the grease!" Peter announced coming back into the room.

"Excellent!" Micky exclaimed. "Fetch me some dirt! The dirtier the better!"

"No dirt!" Davy exclaimed. "I hated being covered in dirt when I was about to marry Ellie Mae!"

"You want this girl to find you ugly, dear boy, you must be dirty!" They spent the next hour like this. Micky had slathered on grease over Davy's hair and ruffled it up making it look absolutely horrible. Peter had rubbed dirt on Davy's face, which wasn't easy because Davy kept trying to fight and wipe his face clean. Mike had taken a little extra dirt and rubbed it over Davy's fingers so it got under his nails and around the edges. Next they focused on clothes.

"We have to go grunge," Micky said still in his accent.

"How?" Peter asked.

"Michael, fetch me your biggest pair of pants and your biggest shirt and make sure they don't match!" Micky said.

"I'll never fit in his clothes!" Davy exclaimed.

"Exactly, dear boy, exactly!" Micky exclaimed.

"Peter, fetch me some safety pins!" Mike and Peter ran off to grab the items. Mike thought he knew where Micky was going, even though Davy was still protesting behind him. Mike handed Davy the most hideous clothes he had in his closet and handed them to Davy.

"Change and don't rub any of that stuff off!" Micky exclaimed. Davy begrudgingly complied and came back looking very comical. Mike bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing.

"These are hideous," Davy said. "Where on earth did you get these?"

"They were a Christmas present," Mike answered.

"I'm swimming in these," Davy said.

"That's the point!" Micky exclaimed. Peter came back with a handful of safety pins and Davy nearly tripped walking back towards them in Mike's pants.

"I'm gonna break my neck in this!" Davy protested.

"No you're not," Mike said trying really hard not to burst out laughing. "What do you think the pins are for?" Mike and Peter both began pinning the clothes up so they looked natural, but baggy and grungy. Micky stood back and admired their work. When Mike and Peter backed away, Micky grabbed one of the two bowls of dirt Peter had collected and threw it at Davy.

"Hey!" Davy sputtered.

"Turn around," Micky instructed. Davy glared at him, but turned around so Micky could throw the other bowl at him.

"Ok, we have the look down," Peter said. "Now we have to work on your attitude."

"You have to be as annoying and rude as you can," Micky said returning to normal.

"I don't think I know how," Davy said.

"Remember Judd?" Micky asked. "Act like him, but more gross."

"I don't know if I can," Davy said. "Ellie Mae's dad spit on the floor a lot. I can do that."

"Not here!" Micky and Mike exclaimed in unison.

"Save that for the outside," Mike said.

"If you get that far with how you look," Peter laughed. Davy glared daggers at him.

"Ok, Davy, look, I'll teach you what I know," Mike said.

"What do you know about being rude and gross," Davy asked.

"I grew up surrounded by rednecks," Mike said. They spent the next several hours trying to get Davy to act, sound, and talk as rudely and grossly as possible. It was very trying work, but they finally got it. It was like Davy was a whole different person. Mike just hoped it worked and scared Ariel off.


	5. Defeated

Author's Note: Hope you like it! I will continue with this story cause there's so much I can do with it. :D

Chapter 5: Defeated

Micky waited nervously for Ariel to arrive for her date with Davy. He wasn't sure his plan was going to work, and something else was nagging at him. It seemed improbable to him that a girl could really be that crazy after one date with a guy. But he could have been wrong. He just couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something. The others seemed to share the same feeling he had.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Davy asked. "What if we're wrong? What if it's not her?"

"It has to be her," Mike said. "The timing is too coincidental. Who else could it be?"

"Maybe she's working with someone else?" Peter suggested. "You know, like a secret agent or something."

"Like who?" Davy asked.

"I don't know," Peter answered. "I just have a really bad feeling about all this."

"So do I," Micky said. "Maybe we should go with him."

"Go with me?" Davy asked.

"Not like that," Micky said. "Like follow you. Dress up in our own disguises. Just to make sure you're ok."

"I think I like that idea," Mike said.

"I'll go get some disguises," Micky said bounding up the stairs as quickly as he could. He came back down with 3 sets of outfits for them just as someone knocked on the door.

"That must be her," Davy said nervously.

"Well, get it," Mike said walking over to Micky. "We'll follow you. Remember what we taught you."

"Be rude and gross," Micky said. "You can do this."

"And we'll be right behind you," Peter added as he walked over to Micky too. Davy took a deep breath and walked over to the door as the other three scrambled out the back door. Micky quickly pulled on his disguise while listening to the conversation inside the house between Davy and Ariel.

"Hiya!" Davy said.

"Oh, Davy?" she said clearly shocked by his appearance.

"You look great!" Davy said.

"You look…what happened to you?"

"Oh, this is how I always look," Davy answered casually. "I just didn't fix myself up today. I wanted you to see the real me."

"I see."

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Huh," Mike said pulling the last of his disguise. "She took that surprisingly well."

"Yeah," Peter agreed as he also pulled on the last of his disguise. "That's a little weird."

"Let's just hurry and follow them," Micky said. "Maybe we'll figure out what she's up to." The three of them looked very different. Peter had put on a brown wig and a dark apron making him look like a waiter. Mike had put on a very stuffy looking suit, a hat, and a mustache. Micky was wearing a blonde wig and a repairman uniform. Once satisfied with their disguises, the three of them piled in their car and drove off after Davy and Ariel far enough behind them so as not to be seen. They pulled up to a restaurant they had eaten at several times.

"Ok, Peter, you go through the back," Mike instructed. "Talk to the manager and tell him what's going on. Briefly. Then go pose as their waiter. I'll be a customer. Make sure you seat me right next to them. Micky, you pretend to fix a light at the other table behind them or something. Oh, and Peter, it's hot back in the kitchen, so make sure you still drink a lot of water, ok? The doctor said we need to make sure you stay hydrated." Peter nodded. "We all ready?"

"Yep," Micky and Peter said. Peter jumped out of the car and ran towards the back entrance. Micky had no doubt the manager would allow them to work their little plan to keep an eye on Davy as the manager knew them very well. Once Peter explained this girl might be trying to do them harm, the manager would do everything he could to help them out. So Micky didn't hesitate; he grabbed a toolbox from the back of the car and walked in as nonchalantly as he could.

When he entered he saw Davy and Ariel sitting at a table near the back. Unfortunately, they were in a corner, but Micky just tweaked the plan. Instead of working on a table behind them, he'd work on the table across from them so that Mike could still sit on the table in front of them. Micky walked over to them and banged his toolbox down loudly on the table. Ariel shot him an extremely dirty look and Micky just smiled back at her.

"Howdy, Ma'am," he said in a thick Texas accent he'd adopted from Mike. "Howdy, Sir. Don't mind me, I'll just be fixing this here light. Won't be in your way none." Davy bit his bottom lip a little trying not to laugh. Micky climbed up on the table and started pulling out tools. It wasn't going to be hard to make it look like he was fixing something because he actually knew a lot about this kind of stuff. He'd even wanted to build a gyrocopter once. As soon as he'd started taking apart the sconce, Peter came out of the back room with a tray full of food. The manager must have asked him to deliver the food to a table because Peter walked over to a table on the other side of the restaurant and handed another couple the food with a courteous smile. Mike walked in the front door adopting a stuffy business-man role and looking the part every inch. Peter smiled and walked over to Mike.

"Hello, Sir," Peter said to him. "Can I show you to a table?"

"Yes, I'd like to be in the back," Mike answered. "I have some important business matters to attend to."

"Yes, Sir," Peter said. "Right this way." Peter led Mike over to the table right in front of Davy and Ariel and handed Mike a menu once he sat down. "I'll be back in just a few moments to take your order." Peter then sidestepped over to Davy and Ariel and took out a notebook and pencil. "Hiya," Peter said to them. "Can I take your order?"

"Yes," Ariel said sounding very angry. "I would like-"

"Two sodas and two cheeseburgers," Davy interrupted. Micky stifled a laugh. He was starting his rudeness routine well. Most women hated when you ordered for them. And everyone hated when you cut them off mid-sentence.

"Actually," she said a little angrily. "I would like a salad and a water."

"You're too skinny!" Davy insisted. "Get some grease and meat on your bones! You'll look so much hotter." Ariel scoffed and Micky had to cover up a laugh with dropping his tool on the table with a loud clang. Luckily it also covered up Peter and Mike's laughs too. It was working like a charm. She'd be dumping him in no time.

* * *

The Devil waited on the outskirts of the forest. He had been waiting all night and the cowardly man hadn't come out yet. He grew angrier and angrier as the hours ticked by. It had nearly been 16 hours since the man went in the forest. The Devil had left several times to check on various other things going on in his world, but every time he came back, there hadn't been a single sign of the man he'd sent in the forest. He was half tempted to go in after him and find what was taking so long, but knew if he would, it would expose him to the witch and she'd never make the potion he needed.

After a few hours of just waiting, he decided to venture forth ever so carefully so as not to disturb the ecosystem and alert the witch of his presence. He had barely walked in however when a strong wind whipped at his face and he saw the cowardly man running toward him. He jumped out of the way to avoid being crashed into. He then turned to chase the man and stop him. He didn't reach him until he'd gotten back on the outskirts of the forest.

"What happened!?" the Devil demanded of him.

"I found her, but she knew I was sent by you," he squeaked out. "She nearly killed me!"

"How did she find out!?" the Devil boomed.

"Because you cannot hide your stench from me!" said a woman floating towards them. Her skin was completely devoid of color and her hair was almost stark white. Her feet didn't touch the ground and she just floated towards them. "Your stench is all over him. How dare you venture here? How dare you send a coward to do your business?" The Devil seethed.

"What in the world did you do to make her so angry?" the man who was now cowering on the ground asked.

"None of your business!" the Devil barked.

"He took the souls of my entire family into the underworld and offered them as sacrifice to a demon," she spat. The Devil sneered at her. "It doesn't matter anyway," she continued. "Your plan is destined to fail. It has been from the start. As we speak, the pieces of your plan are crumbling."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Go see for yourself," she answered with a laugh. "You underestimate your prey. Just like you did before. Innocence and purity cannot be corrupted. No matter how much you throw at those boys, they will overcome your evil. And I will sit back and watch. And laugh at what a miserable failure you are." She disappeared in a whirl of leaves and twigs from the ground. The Devil was extremely angry and left in a puff of smoke, ignoring the pleas of the Bauerschwein not to leave him there. He reappeared at the house of the Monkees, but none of them were there. Growling in anger, he went to the restaurant that Ariel said she was taking Davy to. Anger boiled inside him when he saw the scene unfolding before him. He was indeed failing. And at this point there was nothing he could do to save his plan. He'd have to scrap it and start with a new one.

* * *

Mike sat at the table listening to the conversation between Davy and Ariel. Their plan seemed to be working. Mike could hear the anger and disgust in her voice as she spoke.

"Davy, maybe we should just go somewhere else," Ariel said.

"Why?" Davy asked.

"This guy obviously needs his space to work on that light," Ariel answered her voice dripping with contempt for Micky. Mike silently hoped Micky would pick up on this and continue being loud and annoying.

"I don't mind," Davy said. "After all, he told us not to worry about him and that we weren't in his way. I'm starving and want to eat. Are you sure you don't want a cheeseburger?"

"Positive," she answered angrily. Micky "accidentally" dropped yet another tool and then proceeded to knock over his toolbox clattering tools all over the floor. One of the screwdrivers skittered under Davy and Ariel's table. Micky didn't miss a beat and he dove under the table after it. Davy laughed a little, but Ariel was anything but amused by Micky crawling under their table. "Davy, this is really weird. Can we please just go?"

"No, I want to eat," Davy answered as Micky jumped up from under the table excitedly with the retrieved screwdriver. Peter came back with their drinks now and set them on the table. Davy reached for his soda excitedly and "accidentally" spilled his all over Ariel. She shrieked and jumped up.

"I'll get some napkins!" Peter said. Mike stifled a laugh and looked over at Micky who also had to turn away to keep from laughing.

"I'm so sorry!" Davy exclaimed.

"Forget it," Ariel said. "I'll just go to the bathroom and clean off. I'll be right back." Mike watched as she stalked away. An idea popped into his head to push this whole thing overboard and finish it off.

"Peter!" he hissed. Peter walked over to him. "When you bring the food, spill it on her. Davy, Micky, you both laugh. That should push her over."

"Right," all three of them answered and went back to what they were doing. Not long after Ariel came back, Peter walked out of the kitchen with a tray full of food. Not only did the tray have her salad and Davy's cheeseburger, but Peter had also added a bowl of clam chowder and a few more glasses of soda. Mike was worried for a moment about the soup, but as Peter passed him, Mike noticed that it wasn't steaming so it wasn't that hot. When Peter got to their table, he "tripped" and the tray of food went all over Ariel. She jumped up and shrieked at a pitch Mike didn't think was possible for a human to make.

"That's it!" she exclaimed over the raucous laughter from Davy and Micky. "This isn't worth it! I don't care what he says! This isn't worth it! You're horrible! You're disgusting! This isn't worth it!"

"What?" Davy asked. "What who says?"

"You are a horrible, disgusting little…ugh!" she shrieked again and ran out of the restaurant. Mike felt relief wash over him. They'd gotten rid of her and Davy hadn't been hacked into little pieces.

"Yeah!" Peter exclaimed walking over to hug Davy. "You did it, Davy! I knew you could do it!"

"Wonder what she meant by all that," Davy said.

"Me too," Mike said taking the mustache off his face. "It really did seem as though she were working for someone else."

"Yeah, I wonder who that could be," Peter agreed taking off his apron.

"Guys, I think I know," Micky said. Mike looked at Micky who was staring out the window of the restaurant. His face had drained of color and his eyes were wide with fear. Mike turned to see what he was looking at and his blood ran cold. On the other side of the window stood Mr. Zero. The Devil. His face was contorted into one of rage and hatred. Suddenly it made sense. The Devil must have told Ariel to try and seduce Davy to pull him away from the rest of them. And it was the Devil who'd been responsible for poisoning Peter. Mike also knew why the Devil looked so angry. They had stopped him from taking Peter's soul last year, so he had decided to exact revenge against them. And once again, they had thwarted his plan for revenge without even knowing it. And Mike knew that the Devil wouldn't give up so easily. He would try again. Which meant the Monkees now had to be prepared for anything.


	6. Know Thy Enemy

Author's Note: Ok, I'm not Christian, so I don't believe in the Devil. There are things I DO believe in, but I'm not going there. I'm mostly saying this because I want to stress that this is a work of fiction. I don't want to start any religious fights or anything and I don't know a lot about the Devil myself, so some of what I put here is based on research, information gathered from Christian friends (thank you Plushie) and information of my own invention to fight with things I have planned in the future.

Chapter 6: Know Thy Enemy

The Monkees gathered around their kitchen table after having scrambled out of the restaurant as quickly as they could. None of them spoke a word the whole way home and now they all sat in the kitchen in silence. They were all too afraid to say anything. Saying the words would make it too real. But they would have to. They had to talk about it to decide what they should do. Micky didn't want to be the one to start and was grateful when Mike took a deep breath before being the first to speak after several minutes.

"So the Devil is really angry," he said. "He wants revenge against us."

"I am so stupid," Peter said on the verge of crying.

"What are you talking about, Peter!?" Davy exclaimed.

"Well, this is all my fault, isn't it?" Peter answered.

"What in the world makes you think that?" Micky asked.

"Well, if I hadn't signed that contract with him for a stupid harp, we wouldn't be in this mess," Peter answered.

"Peter, this is not your fault," Mike said calmly, though Micky could tell he was trying to suppress his emotions of fear and anger. "This is in no way, shape or form your fault. Don't think that. He tricked you. That's what he does. This is nobody's fault but his. We beat him fair and square, and he isn't happy about that. So now we have to focus on what we are going to do. I doubt he's going to just give up after one failed attempt at revenge."

"He's just going to keep coming after us," Micky added. "Until the end of eternity."

"Or until we're dead," Davy said.

"Don't talk like that," Mike said. "Either of you. We just have to find a way to stop him permanently."

"How do you stop the Devil?" Micky asked.

"I have no idea," Mike sighed. "But we have to figure something out. We don't know when he's going to strike again."

"Well, I doubt it's going to be for a while," Peter said.

"Why not?" Davy asked.

"Well, he has to recoup, doesn't he?" Peter answered. "I mean, his plan failed. I doubt he had a back-up plan. So now he has to come up with a whole new plan to get at us. I imagine that would take a bit of time. But I could be wrong. I've never exactly tried to get revenge on someone."

"Neither have I," Mike said. "But I doubt you're wrong."

"So how much time do we have?" Micky asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"It could be weeks, could be months," Davy answered.

"Whatever it is, I say we take the time we have and figure out a way to stop him," Mike said. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder waiting for him to strike."

"Seeing death around every corner," Micky added.

"Not being able to trust anyone," Davy agreed. Silence filled the room one more time. It was deafening.

"This brings us back to our original question," Micky finally said. "How do we stop the Devil?"

"Well, how does anybody figure out how to stop his enemy?" Mike asked.

"Well, we can't very well have him arrested," Davy said.

"Or kill him," Micky added.

"First he has to know his enemy," Peter answered. "We need to get to know the Devil as well as we can to try and figure out how to stop him."

"Right, so we need to research this," Mike said. "Read up on every story we can about the Devil."

"Right," Micky, Peter, and Davy said glad for a place to start.

"And we need to talk to the experts," Micky added.

"Right," Mike, Peter and Davy said.

"Anyone know an expert we can consult?" Davy asked.

"Well, I can probably go to the church my family went to when I was growing up and talk to the priest there," Micky said. "I doubt we can just walk up to any priest and talk about it. I doubt they'd really believe us. But I have a relationship with this guy. Hopefully he'll believe me and give me some answers."

"Ok, but I don't want any of us doing anything alone right now," Mike said. "I'll go with you. Peter, Davy, you two go to the library and start digging around."

"Right," Peter and Davy said. It was already too late to go anywhere that night, so they waited until the next morning to start their research plan. And none of them really slept well that night.

* * *

The Devil found himself in the Underworld. A place he called home and felt most comfortable in. The religious called it Hell, but most of the beings down here called it the Underworld. He paced back and forth in his private chamber, his anger growing every second. When one of his minions came in to report about a completely separate matter, the Devil exploded his rage upon him. He snapped his fingers and the minion was sent flying across the chamber before he could even open his mouth to speak. The Devil didn't care what he had to say at this point, however. His primary concern was now the four boys who seemed to always get the better of him.

"That's twice those boys have made a fool of me!" the Devil barked. "I cannot let this stand!"

"What are you going to do, sir?" the minion said in a scratchy voice pushing himself up off the ground and brushing dust off his clothes.

"I don't know!" he answered. "I didn't anticipate them thwarting me again!"

"Well, you did trust Wesen to do the job right, sir, and forgive me for saying, but they _are_ half human. They aren't to be trusted."

"No, I suppose not. Never send a human to do a demon's job."

"So you will send another demon after them now?"

"It is the logical choice. But which one?"

"You could send the most vicious."

"I don't want them dead. Not yet. I want them to suffer first."

"Suffer how?"

"Every way imaginable. I have to break them first. Tear them apart. They will suffer heartache first."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I thought I could break them with temptation, but that didn't work."

"Well, whatever you decide, might I humbly suggest waiting a while?" his minion squeaked. The Devil turned on him again, anger coursing through him ready to strike the minion down.

"Wait!?" the Devil roared. "I've waited long enough!"

"Yes, sir, you have, but if I may explain my reasoning! They've seen you, have they not? Will they not be expecting another attack from you? Will they not have their guards up? It would be most unwise to attack a lion when its teeth are bared. It is much better to wait until that lion sleeps."

"Yes," the Devil sneered. The sniveling minion had a point. Perhaps the Devil would spare him. "But I cannot wait too long either. They are bound to be coming up with a counter plan. I cannot let them discover too much about me. If they were to contact and enlist the help of those with the power to destroy me, it would all be over."

"Indeed, sir."

"You keep an eye on them for me. Report back frequently. I want to know what they are up to. In the meantime, I will tend to other matters."

"Yes, sir!" the minion nodded forcefully and scurried out of the chamber. The Devil followed behind him to tend to the other souls he was working to capture.

* * *

Davy and Peter walked into the library. Mike and Micky had set off for his old home that morning and had wished Peter and Davy luck. Peter and Davy had done the same. It was quite a drive, so Mike and Micky had decided that they would stay the night in a hotel in town and Peter and Davy had agreed to be home by a 8 that night so that Mike and Micky could call and they would be able to share everything each group had learned.

Peter and Davy had agreed that taking the bus down to the Los Angeles library might prove much more informative because it would be bigger and therefore have more books to look at. The library was a large building and Peter loved the way it smelled. It was full of old books, and you could smell them throughout the entire building. He could easily spend hours in a library amidst all the books, but today he was here for a purpose. They had to uncover as much information as they could about the Devil so they could stop him before he killed them.

"Where should we start?" Davy asked.

"Maybe there's a paranormal section," Peter said. Davy shrugged and they walked toward the information desk to ask the librarian.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked when they reached the desk.

"Yes, we're looking for a paranormal section," Peter said.

"I see, is there something in particular you're looking for?" she asked them.

"Well, we're looking for information on the Devil," Peter said thinking that if she could point them to a few books, it might help their research go faster.

"In particular, if there's any way to get him to leave you alone," Davy said. The woman looked at Davy as though he were crazy, so Peter laughed to brush it off.

"It's for a friend," Peter said. It wasn't really a lie; just a little misdirection. "We're interested in myths and legends where people have been harassed by the Devil throughout history and just overall general information. If you could help us that would be great."

"Sure," she said skeptically. "Follow me." Peter and Davy followed her down towards a set of elevators. Once they reached the elevators, the three entered and the librarian hit the button for the 3rd floor. Once they reached the 3rd floor, Davy and Peter followed her to the back of another large room. They passed books on history and science among other things. Peter was very interested in all the books here, but he had to force himself to focus. He knew how scared his friends must have been when he was in the hospital and he didn't want the same thing to happen to them. He couldn't bear it if he lost one of them. They finally reached an old, dark and dusty section of the library.

"I take it a lot of people don't visit this section?" Davy asked.

"Not in particular," the librarian said. "This entire section has books on the paranormal and the occult. One of these aisles has dozens of old books on the Devil." She started looking around trying to find the right one. "Ah, down here."

"We really appreciate this," Peter said.

"That's what I'm here for," she said with a smile before waving to a large section that consisted of a dozen shelves. "This entire section has books for you."

"That's a lot of information," Davy said.

"Some of it is going to be repetitive information, but some of the older books may have myths and legends," she said. "There are a few books that we don't keep down here because they are really old and extremely fragile. If you like, I can look through those books and see if there is anything useful for you and copy those pages."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Peter said. She smiled warmly at him before walking away.

"Well, that was interesting," Davy said.

"What was?" Peter asked looking at his friend confused.

"She was flirting with you!" Davy laughed.

"She wasn't flirting with me," Peter defended. "You think she was flirting with me?"

"She couldn't stop smiling at you," Davy laughed.

"Let's just start looking at these books," Peter said feeling his face flush with embarrassment. Peter wasn't used to anyone flirting with him and it felt weird. She was pretty, but they had to focus on the task at hand. Peter grabbed a handful of books and carried them over to a nearby table. Davy grabbed a smaller handful simply because his arms were smaller. They spent the next hour flipping through the books, not finding anything interesting except for the stories they already knew about the Devil from the Bible. Peter finally flipped open an older looking book and read a few stories of people who claimed to be possessed by demons and the Devil. These weren't of much use either. They couldn't really perform an exorcism because the Devil wasn't possessing any of them.

The pictures in the books were gruesome and almost too hard for Peter to look at. Some of them were black and white, come of them were in color. A few were black and white with the blood or flames being the only thing in color. Some looked hand painted while others looked more professionally done. Peter was slightly amazed at how many different forms the Devil seemed to take. Sometimes he looked like the typical monster with red horns and a red tail, but others were a little more imaginative. None of them really portrayed him as the Monkees knew him; human. Peter guessed that the Devil could take on whatever shape or form was most useful to him at that point in time. He cringed a little at the thought. The Devil could be anyone or anything at any time. Another reason for them to stay in pairs when they weren't all together.

"There's nothing useful here," Davy said after another few hours.

"We need to keep looking," Peter said. "I'm not finding anything either, but we have to try. We can't give up."

"Hopefully Micky and Mike are having better luck," Davy muttered as he grabbed another book.

"I hope so, too," Peter said turning back to his own.


	7. Referral

Author's Note: I want to reiterate this: Ok, I'm not Christian, so I don't believe in the Devil. There are things I DO believe in, but I'm not going there. I'm mostly saying this because I want to stress that this is a work of fiction. I don't want to start any religious fights or anything and I don't know a lot about the Devil myself, so some of what I put here is based on research, information gathered from Christian friends (thank you Plushie) and information of my own invention to fight with things I have planned in the future.

Chapter 7: Referral

Once they drove into the town that he grew up in, Micky gave Mike directions to a nearby hotel that he knew was cheap, but clean enough for them to stay at for the evening. Micky was extremely tired and could tell Mike was too, but they had to keep going. At least until they reached the hotel. Micky thought about asking Mike if they could at least take a nap before they went to talk to the priest not knowing how long they'd be talking to him, but decided against it quickly. They pulled into a parking lot for the hotel and both boys got out of the car. Mike stifled a yawn behind his hand, and the two of them walked toward the front desk to see if they could reserve a room.

"Hello?" said a voice from behind the counter. Neither of them could see who it was because the person appeared to be ducked behind the counter on the floor.

"We'd like to reserve a room," Micky said. "Just for the night."

"Micky?" said the voice. Suddenly a bubbly blonde popped up from behind the counter and hit her head on a low overhanging light. "Ow!"

"Are you ok?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I do that a lot," she answered. "Micky, I can't believe it's you! I haven't seen you in years!" She suddenly darted out from behind the counter and gave Micky a giant hug. He couldn't really remember who this person was, but she really seemed to remember him. Mike looked at Micky trying not to laugh as Micky stood there a little dumbfounded.

"Hi," he said trying desperately to remember this woman. "Uh…I'm really sorry," he finally said giving up.

"You don't remember me?" she asked. "It's Michelle! You took me to Homecoming!"

"Oh yeah!" Micky said remembering. "Sorry, you look so different!"

"Well, you don't," she said. "You look exactly the same."

"Not sure if that's a compliment or not," Micky laughed.

"Probably not," Mike said.

"Cute, Mike," Micky said. "Oh, Mike, this is Michelle. Michelle, this is Mike: one of my best friends."

"Nice to meet you," she said smiling sweetly at him. "What brings you back home?" she asked Micky.

"Oh, not much," Micky lied. "Just here to visit with someone."

"I see," Michelle said. "Why aren't you staying with your parents?"

"They're out of town," Micky said. "Or so I heard."

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. So you haven't come home in years and the one time you do, you're parents aren't even here?"

"Well, it's kind of a business matter of sorts. I'm not really here on pleasure."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll get you set up in a room," she said walking back to her computer. "What are you looking for?"

"Cheap," Micky said.

"Well, the cheapest we have that's available only has one twin bed in it," she said. "Normally I'd have to charge to bring a fold-up bed, but since it's you, I'll look the other way."

"Won't you get in trouble?" Mike asked.

"No, sweetie, my mom owns the place," she said smiling at Mike. "And since Micky here saved my mom from having to pay my cousin fifty bucks to take me to homecoming, she owes him one."

"Your mom was going to pay your cousin to take you to homecoming?" Micky asked.

"Well, I wasn't exactly a looker back then, was I?" she laughed. "No boys pounding down my door."

"I find that hard to believe," Mike said blushing a little. Micky stifled a laugh. It wasn't often that Mike thought a woman attractive enough to flirt with and he was a bit rusty at it.

"Oh, you're a real sweetie, aren't you," she said smiling back at him. Apparently the attempt at flirting was working. "Here you boys go. Room 116. I'll have that other bed sent up within the hour, ok?"

"Sure," Mike said. "There's no rush on that. And thanks for doing that for us. You're saving us a lot of money."

"For you, honey, anytime. Let me know if you boys need anything. I'll be more than happy to get you whatever you need. "

"We will," Micky said pulling Mike out of the lobby. "Thanks, Michelle!"

"She's pretty," Mike said when they got to their room and unloaded their suitcases. "Was she really that bad in high school?"

"No, she was just more artsy and academic than all the other girls," Micky said laughing. "She wasn't the prettiest girl around, but she was pretty enough. In big high schools like mine, you have to be either a beauty queen, a cheerleader, of rich to get any attention. Since I was a drama and choir geek, I kind of got ignored as much as she did. She was on yearbook, newspaper and science club. So she's smart and funny. So you've got that going for you."

"What do you mean by that?" Mike asked.

"She likes you; you like her," Micky said plainly. "When we're done here, maybe you can get her number. I'm sure if you ask nice enough she'll give it to you, sweetie." Micky put sarcasm on the term of endearment and batted his eyes a little at his friend in teasing. Mike responded by throwing a pillow at him.

"Let's just go to this church, ok?" Mike said trying to hide a smile.

"As you wish, honey," Micky said running out the door before Mike could retaliate again. Micky jumped in the car behind the driver's seat and Mike looked at him quizzically because Mike usually always drove. "What? You look like you're about to drop any second and I know my way around this town better than you do." Mike sighed and threw Micky the keys.

"Just for the record though," Mike said climbing in the passenger seat. "I'm fine."

"Uh-huh," Micky said starting the car. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"I got enough. About the same as you."

"So only a few hours," Micky said but Mike didn't answer. It wasn't a very far drive to the church, so the two were there within a few minutes. Mike and Micky got out of the car and walked to the front door of the church. They were greeted by a woman cleaning the windows with a smile.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," Micky answered. "We were wondering if we could ask Father Murphy a few questions."

"Of course," she replied. "Please come with me." She led the way further into the church past all the pews and to a door at the back. "Wait here." She knocked on the door and slipped inside. After only a moment, she came back out with Father Murphy in tow.

"Hello, Mr. Dolenz," he said as the woman went back to cleaning her windows. "It's been a very long time. How can I help you?"

"Well, we would like your help with something," Micky started. "This if my friend Mike."

"Nice to meet you, Mike," Father Murphy said extending a hand.

"Likewise," Mike said shaking his hand.

"We're having a bit of a problem," Micky continued. "Well, a big problem really. I know this is going to sound crazy, but we seem to have made the Devil angry."

"What do you mean?" Father Murphy asked.

"Well, we have this other friend named Peter who really wanted a harp and the Devil tricked him into signing over his soul so he could get the harp and play it really well."

"But we outsmarted him and showed that the Devil didn't hold up his end of the bargain because he gave our friend something he already had making the contract null and void," Mike added.

"Not the harp, but the ability to play it, so now he's really mad and is trying to kill us," Micky finished. Father Murphy just stared at them for a moment.

"Did you boys hit your heads or something?" he asked.

"No," Micky said. "We aren't crazy. I know it sounds like we are, but we are completely serious."

"You really want me to believe this?" Father Murphy asked.

"Well, why not?" Mike asked. "You believe in the Devil, don't you?"

"Well, of course I do, but I've never heard of anything like this before," Father Murphy answered.

"Doesn't the Church perform exorcisms?" Mike asked.

"Yes, but that's very few and far between and the process to prove that someone is possessed and not having a psychological episode is very long and drawn out," Father Murphy answered.

"So why don't you believe this?" Micky asked.

"Because…" Father Murphy started but stopped as if he were trying to find the right words.

"Ok, just humor us if you don't believe us," Micky said. "What would you say to someone who is being targeted by the Devil?"

"Other than repent and confess your sins?" Father Murphy asked. "Since I don't think that would work with a physical manifestation of evil."

"And we didn't really sin," Mike pointed out.

"Our friend was just tricked," Micky added.

"Yes, I really don't know what to tell you," Father Murphy said.

"We need to see if he has any weaknesses or not," Micky said. "I know he can't really be killed, but if we can just get him to leave us alone…"

"I'd say you already found his weakness," Father Murphy said. "You stopped him once, didn't you?"

"Twice really," Mike said.

"Twice?" Father Murphy said.

"Yeah, the first time we challenged the validity of the contract," Mike answered.

"And the second time was yesterday," Micky added. "He was trying to break us apart by tempting our other friend Davy, there's four of us, to fall in love with someone and run away with her."

"It sounds like that's your edge," Father Murphy said. "When we perform exorcisms, we call upon the power of God and we try and keep the inflicted person surrounded by family. Love of their family and their love of God is what helps them fight the demons."

"Demons?" Mike said.

"The Devil himself doesn't usually possess people," Father Murphy said. "He usually sends his minions to do his dirty work."

"You think he's going to send demons after us?" Mike asked sounding a little scared. "Like little horny, fire breathing demons?"

"No one really knows what they look like," Father Murphy said. "What you see in most pictures is art. Mostly from the overly superstitious Middle Ages and Renaissance. No one that I've ever heard of has ever come face to face with one."

"Except when they take over your body," Micky said.

"Well, even then they aren't really seen," Father Murphy corrected. He let out a sigh before continuing. "There may be someone who can help you a little better. Her name is Regan Merrin."

"She's not a psychiatrist, is she?" Mike asked.

"No, she's a demonologist," he said. "She's been studying things like this for decades. If anyone can help you she can, but she's not exactly easy to get a hold of. She travels very frequently and often times on short notice so I don't even know if she'll be home."

"Where does she live?" Micky asked.

"Arizona," Father Murphy answered. "You boys would have to drive out to see her. I'll try today and see if I can get in contact with her and tell her about your problem. More than likely, she'll want to see all four of you. Where are your other friends?"

"Back in Malibu trying to do research at the library," Mike answered.

"I recommend you all stick together from now on," Father Murphy said.

"We will," Micky answered.

"Arizona, huh?" Mike asked. "That is a long drive."

"Not as far as you think," Father Murphy said. "It only takes about 7 hours."

"Whatever we have to do to fix this," Micky answered.

"Give me the name of your hotel and I'll contact you as soon as I know anything," Father Murphy said grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. Micky jotted down the name of the hotel and their room number before handing it back to him.

"Thank you, Father," Micky said before the two turned to leave.

"Oh, and boys?" Father Murphy called after them. "It wouldn't hurt to say a few extra prayers tonight. I will be saying a few extra for you as well."

"Thanks," Mike said with a smile.

* * *

The Devil paced impatiently in his chamber waiting for his minion to return. When the minion came back, he immediately kneeled at his master's feet.

"What news do you have for me?" the Devil asked.

"The boys are trying to find a way to stop you," the minion said standing upright.

"How?"

"Two of them are at a library looking at old books and the other two are talking to a priest."

"A priest? How cute. Is there any reason for me to be worried?"

"Not that I saw, sir," the minion said with an exaggerated bow.

"Good," the Devil said. "I have an idea. If I couldn't tempt them with love, then what other emotion can I tempt them with?"

"I have no idea, sir," the minion answered. "Humans fall prey to hundreds of emotions."

"Yes, but one in particular can destroy relationships; anger," the Devil said with a smile. "Anger has caused many a country to fall, why not 4 little boys?"

"Yes, if you can find a way to make them angry enough, sir, but how are you going to do that? They are so loyal to each other."

"All I need is a spark. Then I can use a demon to ignite it."

"Yes, but the particular demon that could do that is dead."

"Dead?!" the Devil asked whirling on his minion who squeaked with fear.

"Yes, sir, he was killed, by another demon!"

"If he was killed by another demon, he'll be in the forgotten wasteland and can be summoned back," the Devil said.

"Only if you persuade Arcesso," the minion squeaked.

"I don't see that as being much of a problem."

"He is not easily persuaded, sir."

"All I have to do is give him something in return for his efforts. It will be easy. It's been a while since he's seen a live human. All I have to do is bring him one or two. And I think I'll start with those two miserable failures that call themselves Wesen."

"A nice choice, sir."

"Go, fetch the Bauerschwein; I'll deal with the Hexenbeist. Then I want you to send a message to Arcesso and tell him I have a gift."

"Yes, sir, anything for you, sir!"


	8. Resurrection

Author's Note: The names in all my stories have a meaning. Sometimes it's something personal to me (like the characters Father Murphy and Michelle); sometimes it's just something I pulled from a movie or TV show. I'm curious to see if anyone got the reference I made in the last chapter for the demonologist. :D

Chapter 8: Resurrection

Mike and Micky had made it back to the hotel by late afternoon, and since they didn't have to call Peter and Davy until later, they had both decided to take a nap. Mike had set the alarm and moved to lay down on the fold-up bed that Michelle had brought while they were gone, but Micky beat him to it insisting that Mike get a better rest than him since Mike would be the one driving home. When the alarm went off shortly before 8, the boys woke up grumbling. Micky threw his pillow across the room to try and silence the alarm, but only succeeded in hitting Mike in the face.

"Hey!" Mike yelled.

"Sorry," Micky laughed. "I wasn't aiming for you, I swear."

"Were you aiming at all?" Mike asked.

"That requires opening your eyes doesn't it," Micky laughed.

"A little," Mike answered getting out of the bed and walking to the bathroom. Micky rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep, but Mike woke him up again a minute later by throwing Micky's pillow back at him.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," Micky said groggily.

"I'm gonna go across the street and get some food," Mike said indicating the supermarket across the way from the hotel.

"Hang on," Micky said with a yawn. "I'll get my shoes on."

"You don't need to come with," Mike said. "I know what kind of sandwich you like."

"Yeah, don't really care so much about that," Micky said pulling his shoes on. "It's the mention of those little horny, fire-breathing demons that might be after us."

"It's a super-market," Mike said. "You think he's going to try anything there?"

"Wouldn't put it past him," Micky said grabbing the hotel room key and moving toward the door.

"Alright, fine," Mike said as the two left. It didn't take them long to pick out food and drinks and were back at the hotel with half an hour. As Micky unwrapped his sandwich, the two sat on the bed and Mike dialed the number for their home. Mike put the phone on speaker and Peter answered the other end on the second ring.

"Hello?" Peter said.

"Hey, Pete," Mike said.

"Hey, you guys made it ok?" Peter asked.

"Yep," Micky said taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Anything happen to you guys today?" Mike asked.

"Other than the librarian flirting with Peter?" Davy said laughing in the background. Obviously Peter had put them on speaker, too.

"Was she cute?" Micky asked.

"Not the point," Mike said, but Micky saw a smile tugging at his lips nonetheless. "Did you guys find anything out?"

"Somewhat," Peter said. "There were a lot of scary and gross looking pictures. I really don't want to see the real life versions of any of those things."

"Neither do we," Mike said.

"We found a few stories from a really long time ago that talked about how the Devil would play tricks on people. But nothing about how to make him stop. The librarian made copies of them for us so you can read them when you get home; see if I missed anything."

"What about you guys?" Davy asked. "Any luck with the priest?"

"Sort of," Mike said. "He sort of thought we were psychotic at first, but then he told us that he knows of a demonologist who can probably help us more."

"Demonologist?" Davy asked and even through the phone Micky could hear terror in his voice.

"Yeah, I guess she studies demons for a living," Mike said. "Weird hobby if you ask me."

"Well, at least she'll be able to help us," Peter said. "Did you talk to her?"

"Not yet," Micky answered around a mouthful of food.

"Father Murphy is going to get in contact with her to see if she's available to see us," Mike added. "He said he'd call us when he spoke with her. She lives in Arizona, so we'd have to drive out there."

"Could be a fun road trip," Peter said.

"Do you know how hot it is out there?" Davy asked.

"And dry," Micky added. "It's the middle of the desert."

"But we have to go if we stand any chance of getting over this," Mike said.

"Very true," Peter said. "Are you guys heading home in the morning?"

"Yeah, first thing," Mike said. "The priest warned us that we need to stick together until this is all over."

"I agree with him," Davy said. "Especially if there are demons running around trying to get us."

"You guys just stay put for the night," Mike said. "Lock all the doors. Be very careful."

"Got it," Peter said. "You guys be careful, too. Call us when you head home?"

"Of course," Mike said. "We'll see you in the morning. Sleep well."

"You too!" Peter said before they all hung up the phone.

"You think there might be anything in those stories Peter found?" Micky asked.

"I don't know," Mike said. "I hope so. Otherwise we've got nothing."

"We've got the demonologist," Micky pointed out.

"Not yet, we don't. We don't even know if she's available to talk to us."

"Well, let's hope for our sake, she is," Micky said. The two of them spent the next several hours watching TV or reading something they had brought with them. They were about to go back to bed for the night when the phone rang, startling them both.

"Hello?" Micky answered.

"Hello, Micky, it's Father Murphy," said the voice on the other end.

"Oh, hello, Father," Micky answered more for Mike's benefit. "Did you get a hold of that lady?"

"Yes, but she's out of town for a while," he answered.

"Oh," Micky said dejectedly.

"But she'll be back within a week or so," Father Murphy added. "She said she'd be happy to see you then. She said she'd call me when she arrived home. When she does that, I'll call you boys."

"Ok, well we're going home in the morning ourselves," Micky said. "I'll give you the number to our house."

"Let me get a pen and paper," Father Murphy said. Once he came back, Micky told him their phone number and then the two said their good-byes and hung up the phone.

"She'll be back in a week or so," Micky informed Mike. "She'll see us then. Father Murphy is going to call us at the house when she is ready to see us."

"That's good," Mike said. "In the meantime, we'll just have to lay low and hope the Devil doesn't attack us again."

* * *

The Devil reappeared in his chamber with the limp form of the Hexenbeist named Ariel that had so miserably failed him. In the corner, his minion had already brought back the Bauerschwein. The minion had waited there for the Devil to return and had already secured ropes around the Bauerschwein who was struggling fruitlessly behind a gag. The Devil dropped the unconscious woman to the ground next to the scared pig-man. He then snapped his fingers and Ariel was suddenly bound with rope and the Bauerschwein was knocked out too.

"Go tell Arcesso that I have a present for him," the Devil told his minion.

"Yes, sir," the minion said and disappeared with a pop. He returned a few moments later looking a little scared.

"Arcesso is on his way," the minion said. "Be warned though, sir, he seems a little angry."

"He's a demon," the Devil said. "We're always angry."

"Yes, sir," the minion said bowing. "Of course, sir. Forgive me, sir." A moment later, the light in the room seemed to fade. The Devil knew this was just typical of the arrival of such a powerful demon. His minion however, seemed to fear it and cowered in the corner with a soft whimper. In another moment a large hooded figure walked into the room and the room grew even darker.

"How dare you summon me," he said in a very deep gravelly voice.

"I have a proposition for you," the Devil answered simply.

"This better be good," Arcesso said.

"I offer you two Wesen," the Devil said. "They are human, but they are more than that. They should provide you with enough strength to last you decades."

"And in return you wish me to resurrect a demon for you?"

"Yes, a particular demon. I need his talents to do something for me."

"Which demon?"

"Andras, the demon of rage."

"He is quite the troublesome demon, you know. He betrayed the last demon that contracted him to perform a task. That's why he was killed."

"Yes, well, I did some asking around and it turns out the demon who killed him wasn't exactly trustworthy either. He refused to kill the woman he was supposed to and fell in love with her instead. Andras merely tried to finish what that demon was too weak to do."

"He was not weak. His human side was as strong as his demon side. But you add to that the power of love and you have an even stronger connection. I have heard what you are trying to do. I trust you to not underestimate the strength of love. It is what humans have that make them so powerful."

"Trust me, I am not underestimating it. That is why I need Andras. I need to sever that strength if I am to achieve my goal."

"And you think you can achieve that by instilling rage in these boys? They humiliated you once, what makes you think they won't do it again."

"They won't." The Devil seethed. He had no idea that word of his failure had travelled that far through the Underworld. He'd kill whoever dared open his mouth and discuss it.

"Don't be so sure. Andras failed to keep his targets enraged for very long before he was killed."

"That's because he went after someone much stronger."

"That doesn't matter. They were only stronger in power, not in the bond that held them together. They were sisters, and as I hear it, these boys might as well be brothers."

"But they aren't."

"How are you even going to get them angry to start with? Andras cannot infect them with rage unless they are already angry."

"I haven't figured that out yet. I am working on it. My minions and I are watching them closely waiting for an opportunity to present itself."

"I do not think you will succeed in this venture."

"So are you saying you won't help me?"

"No, I am not saying that at all. I am merely warning you. You are letting your anger and hatred for these boys cloud your judgment. If it were me, I'd let it be."

"I cannot let it be! They humiliated me and now every demon in the Underworld is laughing behind my back."

"They will always find something to laugh at. You shouldn't concern yourself with such petty problems. You are one of the most powerful beings alive."

"Are you going to help me or not?" the Devil snapped ignoring the compliment. Arcesso stood there for a moment as though contemplating his decision.

"Even though I believe you will fail miserably, I will help you," Arcesso finally said. "You have brought me such a wonderful gift, after all. Who am I not to return the favor? Have your minion bring them to my chambers." The Devil nodded and waved for his minion to do as asked, then stood and waited. Arcesso held out his arms and began chanting. As he did so, the room grew very dark and cold as though Arcesso was sucking all the light and heat from the room. But of course, he was. He needed as much energy as he could to perform the task and what is heat and light but forms of energy he could tap into with ease? The words he spoke were in Latin, and even though the Devil was rusty because he hadn't spoken Latin in hundreds of years, he still understood them. "Egressus vivet creatura inferni. Corpus, mens, et potestatem congregare, hic et prosperabitur." _Come forth and live, creature of hell. Body, mind, and power congregate here and prosper._

After a few moments of this, the Devil saw a figure begin to appear and heard a distant scream. As the figure materialized further, the scream grew louder and closer. When the figure had finally taken the complete form of a man, the screaming stopped and the man dropped to his knees as though in pain. Arcesso dropped his arms to his side and looked at the demon now panting for breath at his knees.

"Andras, demon of rage," Arcesso said. "I have brought you back from the dead to peform a task for the Devil himself."

"What if I refuse?" Andras asked. "I was dead, and now I'm alive and you don't even give me a chance to reorient myself?"

"You will have that opportunity," the Devil said. "I am not quite ready for you, yet. Do whatever you wish to reorient yourself to the world, but when I need you, you will answer me."

"And if I don't?" Andras asked again.

"Then I will kill you again," the Devil answered with a smile.


	9. Road Trip

Author's Note: Yep, Regan Merrin is a combination of people from the exorcist. Regan was the girl who was possessed and Father Merrin is the priest who performed the exorcism! Good job, Tigerlily!

Chapter 9: Road Trip

Mike and Micky made it back home without incident and the boys all spent the next week looking over their shoulders while still trying to live life normally. They played a gig at a woman's birthday party that went well and got paid very handsomely for it. They waited anxiously for the call from Father Murphy to tell them that the demonologist was available for them to talk to. Mike and Micky had both looked over the stories that Peter had gotten from the librarian and while they weren't very informative, they proved interesting.

One such story came from Germany and told about an old woman who was extremely sick and near death. She had called out to the Devil and made a deal with him: her youth and health for her soul. He had tricked her and gave her what she wanted, but for only 24 hours. At the end of the 24 hours, she was struck by lightning on a perfectly clear sunny day. Another story was from France about a woman who was in love with an aristocrat and asked the Devil to make him fall in love with her. Again, the aristocrat fell madly in love with the woman, but after 24 hours, the aristocrat killed the woman in a fit of jealous rage when she looked at another man. In a third story, a man asked the Devil for riches and fame. He was given those riches, but once his children learned of his deal, they tried to save the man from death. This time the man died 48 hours later; it seemed the children only staved off the Devil for a day, but the story didn't explain how. So while it showed that the Devil would give you what you wanted, it was at a price and only for a day. Which wasn't exactly helpful to any of them.

So when the day finally came that the phone rang, all four boys dropped what they were doing. Peter had been fine-tuning a song he'd just written; Mike and Davy had been cleaning the kitchen from the breakfast they'd just had; and Micky had been folding laundry. All four boys gathered around the phone however and waited hopefully as Mike answered after the second ring.

"Hello?" Mike said upon answering.

"Hello," came the response on the other end. Mike recognized it as Father Murphy and breathed a sigh of relief. "This is Father Murphy, is this Mike?"

"Yes, this is Mike," he answered, then placed his hand over the mouthpiece to talk to his friends. "It's Father Murphy." He noticed a visible aura of relief wash over all three of them knowing what the phone call meant. They were all one step closer to finding an answer to their problems.

"Mike, I just spoke with Regan Merrin," Father Murphy said. "She's leaving for the airport now. She'll be home by nightfall, so tomorrow morning you boys can leave and meet her at her home."

"That's excellent," Mike said. "Micky, grab me a pen and paper." Micky nodded and came back within a few seconds with the requested items. Father Murphy then told Mike the address with some helpful directions and wished them luck before hanging up.

"When do we leave?" Davy asked.

"First thing tomorrow morning," Mike answered.

"How long do you think we're going to be there?" Peter mused.

"Well, if it takes 7 hours to get there and we leave first thing in the morning, we'll get there mid-afternoon," Micky answered. "Probably around 1 or 2. Then we will hopefully spend a few hours talking to her."

"If we leave when we finish, it'll be really late by the time we get home," Davy added. "We should probably stay the night there and drive back the next morning. We have some extra money from that gig we did."

"I was hoping to spend it on something else," Mike said, "but Davy's right, it'll be much too late for any of us to drive home safely. It might be one thing if we weren't all so anxious and jumpy to start with, but seeing as how the Devil could make a coyote jump out in front of us in the darkness and kill us, I think we should only travel by daylight and well rested."

"Agreed," Micky said.

"I'll go pack then," Peter said walking off to his room.

"I'm going to look at the map and check for some places to stop for bathroom breaks," Mike said.

"Want me to pack a few things for you, Mike?" Micky asked halfway up the stairs as the two of them shared a room.

"We have all day, Micky," Mike answered. He knew they were all just really anxious to leave and wanted to remind them of that. "Thank you for the offer though."

"Ok, just don't forget anything," Micky said. By the end of the day they were all packed with four bags waiting by the door for the following morning. Micky had insisted on packing a box of snacks for them as well. Peter was now busy with filling up several water bottles for them as Mike rattled off a list of things they might need to make sure no one was forgetting anything.

"Toothbrushes?" Mike asked.

"Check," Davy, Micky, and Peter said in unison.

"Hairbrushes?" Mike asked.

"Check," they answered in unison again.

"Shoes and socks?" Mike asked.

"Mike, we've got everything," Davy said.

"We're only going to be gone a day," Micky said. "I think we'll be fine."

"Most important thing is to stay hydrated," Peter added as he finished filling the last of the water bottles.

"I'm just making sure," Mike answered.

"Yes, Dad," Micky said with a chuckle.

"Very funny, Micky," Mike said though he was smiling a little.

First thing the next morning they all piled into the car and set off for the road. They quickly got on the I-10 freeway and spent the next several hours on it. They stopped off in a little town called Blythe right before crossing the border into Arizona to use the bathroom and get some more gas. After that, they drove through another small town called Quartzite about half an hour later and didn't reach another town until they reached a place called Avondale on the outskirts of Phoenix.

"The place she lives is in a city called Mesa just outside Phoenix," Micky said looking at the directions. "The directions say to stay on this freeway until we reach the 202 freeway. Then we take that east. Then we have to get off on a street called Power road." They had reached Power road within another half hour of reaching Avondale and Micky guided them to the proper house. They all got out of the car when they'd pulled up to the right house. Mike looked around and noticed there was hardly any green in the entire street. All the houses had rocks in place of lawns. The only greenery was from weeds growing from the ground or the occasional tree and a lot of cacti. The older houses in the city looked very different from each other, but all the newer houses looked exactly the same: stucco cookie-cutter houses. Mike liked the houses in California better.

"Is that thermometer accurate?!" Davy exclaimed pointing at a thermometer hanging from the outside of the house.

"A hundred and twenty degrees?" Micky asked reading it.

"It certainly feels like that," Peter said wiping sweat from his face.

"And that thermometer is in the shade," Mike noted dryly. "Let's hurry and get inside." He knocked on the door and a minute later an older woman answered. She looked to be around 60 with long brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"You must be the boy's Father Murphy told me about," she said. "I'm Regan. Please, come in."

"Thank you," Mike said. "This is Davy, Micky, Peter and I'm Mike."

"A pleasure," she said with a very warm smile. "Would you boy's like some water?"

"Sure," Mike said as all four boys followed the woman in her house. She motioned for them to sit in some chairs in her living room and she ducked into the kitchen. The living room was filled with books; both new and old, but mostly old. There were also several crystals lying around various places. Regan returned a minute later with four glasses of water on a tray which she set on the table in front of them.

"How was your drive here?" she asked as all four boys gratefully took a glass of water.

"It was fine," Mike answered. "It only took 6 hours instead of 7 like Father Murphy had said it would."

"Well, Father Murphy drives rather slowly, and it can take longer depending on traffic on the freeways," she answered. "Now, on to business. Father Murphy told me you boys seem to be having problems with the Devil. Tell me what happened."

"It started a year or so ago when Peter made a contract with the Devil," Mike started.

"I didn't know it was the Devil," Peter said sounding incredibly guilty even though they'd told him numerous times it wasn't his fault.

"He was masquerading as a pawn shop owner named Mr. Zero," Micky said. "Peter saw a harp he really wanted, and the Devil said he could have it on a buy now, pay later thing."

"I didn't read the contract I signed," Peter said, again sounding incredibly guilty. Davy was sitting right next to him and placed his hand over Peter's as a way of comforting him.

"Basically, we challenged the validity of that contract because it gave Peter the ability to play the harp, but we proved Peter had the ability all along," Mike finished getting the negative thoughts off Peter.

"So now he's angry and wants to kill us," Micky added.

"I see," Regan said. "What has he done so far?"

"He sent a girl to seduce Davy and try and get him to run away with her," Mike said.

"Davy's kind of girl crazy," Micky supplied at her curious glance at Davy.

"Hey," Davy protested.

"You are," Mike said and continued before Davy could protest any further. "He sent us cookies that were poisoned and Peter ate one of them. We took him to the hospital and the doctors said that he'd become extremely dehydrated extremely quickly. They never figured out how it happened, but they were able to get enough fluids in him to save him."

"And we destroyed the cookies," Micky added.

"I see," Regan said. She looked as though she were deeply thinking about something for a few moments before she spoke again. "What if I told you I don't think he wants to kill you?"

"What do you mean?" Davy asked. "He tried to kill Peter!"

"Maybe not," she said. "And he didn't try to kill you. He wanted you to leave your friends. If he'd wanted Peter dead, Peter would be dead."

"So what _does_ he want?" Micky asked.

"I believe he just wants you to suffer," she said. "I believe the cookies were laced with a potion, not a poison. It is a potion designed to suck all the water out of a body. The potion doesn't kill until a few days later; plenty of time for you to have sought help and recovered. He wanted you out of the way so you wouldn't interfere with his plans to tempt Davy with love and convince him to leave your group. It is your bond that makes the four of you strong. If he succeeds in severing at least one metaphoric link in the chain that holds you together, the rest of you are weaker and much more vulnerable to your own temptations. That is what he does best. He tempts people. He gives them what they want, but at a price."

"We read stories about that," Micky said.

"So how do we get him to leave us alone?" Davy asked.

"Surely he's going to come after us again," Mike added.

"Without a doubt," Regan said. "He's a very hot tempered demon. There isn't an easy way to stop him. One thing you should know about him is that he's a demon. He's not the king of demons as biblical scripture states. Christians invented the Devil as a scare tactic so people wouldn't commit sin. He just decided to fill that role because he is the demon of temptation. Demons have certain domains a lot of times. There is a demon for just about everything. They have special powers that pertain to their domains and the Devils powers allow him to make and execute contracts based on temptation."

"I thought he sends other demon's to do his dirty work sometimes though," Micky said.

"Well, there are different levels of demons," she explained. "Upper level and lower level mostly. The upper level demons usually have a lot of lower level demons that act as their minions. At one point, there was a leader of the demons. Most demons listened to him, but a few didn't. The Devil was one of them."

"At one point?" Mike asked.

"He's been destroyed," she answered. "He was called the Source. As in the Source of all Evil. Some say he was the first demon."

"Destroyed?" Peter asked. "As in killed?"

"Essentially," she responded.

"So they can be killed?" Micky asked hopefully.

"Yes and no," she explained. "See, upper level demons are incredibly powerful. Lower level demons can be killed pretty easily. About as easily as humans can, but they have the added ability to disappear from one place and reappear in another making it a little more difficult. Upper level demons on the other hand are incredibly hard to kill."

"So how was the…what did you call him, the Source…how was he killed?" Micky asked.

"By three very powerful witches whose destiny it was to kill him. Some demons can't be killed, some can be banished, and some can only be killed by those three powerful witches."

"So can we ask them for help?" Davy asked hopefully.

"No," she answered. "They have sort of…retired, in a way. They are all doing their own things now. Since the Source is dead, and any demon that is powerful enough to replace him has been taken care of in one form or another. Granted, the Devil is powerful enough to replace the Source, but he doesn't want the title."

"Is there someone else who can kill him?" Mike asked.

"The Devil is one of those who cannot be killed," she answered. "People have tried banishing him, but it hasn't worked."

"So what do we do?" Micky asked.

"There's not much you can do," she said. "Not alone at any rate. I will have to give it some thought; do a little research, but since none of you really have any powers, you will need help."

"How do you really know any of this?" Mike asked. "I know you're a demonologist, but I don't even really understand how you research these things?"

"I am a witch myself," she answered. "Before you ask, I am nowhere near powerful enough to help you myself. I am just a psychic. That's one of the reasons I live here."

"What does the hot desert have to do with being a psychic?" Davy asked.

"Arizona is more than just a hot desert," she answered. "There is a lot of volcanic activity here. Volcanic activity is a good conduit for mental powers. It symbolizes destruction and rebirth. A volcano can destroy land and create new land all at the same time."

"There's a lot of volcanic activity here?" Peter asked. "Really?"

"Oh yes," she answered. "The mountain to our east is called Superstition Mountain. It's actually an ancient super volcano like Yellowstone, except there are 5 craters rather than the 3 at Yellowstone. There's also Camelback Mountain to the west of us which is an ancient magma chamber that uplifted. There are over 600 volcanoes to the north of us in what is called the San Francisco Volcanic Fields near Flagstaff. You need energy to tap into powers and volcanic activity provides an amazing amount of energy."

"Wow, interesting," Peter said.

"Yeah, so about what we're supposed to do to stop the Devil?" Mike prodded.

"I have to work on that for you," she answered. "In the meantime, you need to fight back. He'll try and tempt you again. You have to resist all temptation. You have to keep your bond strong. That's the only way to stay safe."

"What if he attacks us physically again?" Peter asked.

"I doubt he will," she answered. "Killing you is not his goal. It's not his style. He doesn't kill until he has your soul. But if he does, just by sticking together, you'll be safe. Be very careful and stick together. Whatever it is that holds you so close, you must not forget that. No matter what happens."


	10. A Secret Deal

Author's Note: Let me know what you think! I appreciate your comments and am so pumped by all the love. :D It motivates me to write more which is tough because I have schoolwork to do, too. :P

Chapter 10: A Secret Deal

The Devil stood in his chambers in the Underworld with a renewed sense of satisfaction. Andras was standing before him finally ready to do his bidding, even though he was really only doing it out of fear for his life. The Devil couldn't wait to send Andras after the boys, but knew he'd have to prepare them first; a point Andras was very quick to point out to him.

"You know they have to already be angry for me to infect them," he said in a very harsh voice that suited the demon of rage.

"I'm well aware of that," he said. "I am working on that. I will do what I can to start pitting them against each other."

"Like what?" Andras asked.

"I have watched them over the past year since they-"

"Humiliated you?" Andras interjected. The Devil narrowed his eyes at him.

"Watch yourself," the Devil said. "I have no use for you once your task is complete. Consider it a favor that I am allowing you to live when this is over. You cross me, and I may reconsider."

"I only speak the truth," Andras answered.

"Even so," the Devil countered. "I have watched them for a year and have learned worlds of information about them. Not only is the youngest the most apt to fall in love, but he is also the most hot tempered."

"A typical sign of being the youngest," Andras commented.

"Indeed," the Devil said. "The oldest is the most compassionate, so he will be the hardest."

"Even the most compassionate are able to become enraged when the setting is right."

"Yes. The best way to anger him is to leave him alone. His friends will start fighting around him and he will follow because of his sense of compassion."

"And the other two?"

"The second oldest is the most responsible, so he will prove a relatively easy target as well. The fourth is sort of a tricky one. He is a combination of all three of them with a lot of extra energy thrown in. He can be responsible, can be quick to anger, and can be compassionate. I will have to be very careful with how I approach him. But since they all live together, I will wait until an opportunity presents itself to start."

"Excuse me, sir," the Devil's minion entered looking very nervous.

"What is it?" the Devil asked impatiently; he hated being interrupted.

"Well, um, sir, it would seem, sir, that the boys have, um, spoken to a woman who is able to help them, sir," he answered very nervously.

"What do you mean?" the Devil said now growing angry.

"Well, sir, she's a witch, and she told them about you and the other demons of the Underworld and is working to find a witch who is able to help them," he replied thoroughly wringing his hands.

"Witches," Andras said. "They always get in the way."

"Yes, but there isn't much any of them can do to stop me," the Devil answered.

"Even so, don't you think you should deal with her?" Andras asked.

"Yes, of course," the Devil answered. "Would you like to do the honors, Andras?"

"It would be my pleasure," Andras said breaking into a smile. "It's been ages since I've killed someone."

"Then by all means. Go have fun."

* * *

The boys spent the next several months waiting for more information from Regan, while still trying to go about their lives as normal. They'd played several more gigs, thereby making enough money to pay rent, but their cabinets were still pretty bare. However, they still went out in pairs whenever they didn't go out as a group. Even though Regan had said she didn't think the Devil wanted to kill them, they were still very cautious in their movements. They were also very cautious in whom they trusted, but there were still a few good things that had happened out of the whole mess.

Davy had so far been true to his word and while he got starry-eyed a few times, he had yet to actually go out with another girl. He'd told the others he was too afraid and he saw himself as being the weakest, despite his friend's adamant declarations of the opposite. He insisted that if he weren't the weakest, then why would the Devil have chosen to go after him first? Peter had tried countless times to try and prove Davy wrong saying they all had their faults, but Davy just wouldn't listen. Instead, he sequestered himself off in the house as much as he possibly could saying it was the only way to make sure he didn't put any of them in danger again.

Mike on the other hand had been a recipient of the benefits of the bad situation. He had told Peter that he had met a beautiful woman in Micky's old hometown and he talked to her now on almost a daily basis. He couldn't stop talking about how smart, funny, and beautiful she was. Davy had questioned the idea of starting a relationship with someone new after what had happened to him, but Micky had pointed out that the Devil wouldn't be stupid enough to try the same thing twice for one, and Micky himself had taken her out once while they were in high school for two. So with Micky's blessing (insisting she wasn't an ex-girlfriend because they'd only gone out once) Mike carried on his relationship with Michelle.

Micky had decided to devote his time and energy to doing as much research as he could on magic and witches trying to come up with some sort of way they could protect themselves. He'd pestered the others to go to a magic shop with him because he'd read all the books in the library already, but the others all thought it a little too weird and Mike insisted on letting the experts deal with it. Every day that passed with no word from either Father Murphy or Regan, however, he would pester more and even dare to go on his own, a suggestion that all three emphatically shot down multiple times. If Micky was in danger out there on his own, could he imagine what might happen if he were alone in a shop full of magical items?

Peter was also reaping some benefits. The librarian who had flirted with him, Allison, had also slipped him her phone number when she'd given him the copies of those stories. He'd called her a few times and was really starting to take a liking to her. He kept this a secret, however, from his friends after the conversation about Mike's love interest. He hadn't actually gone out with the girl because he was never alone anymore, but he'd sneak down at night and call her a few times a week. He'd found he could sit and talk to her for hours on almost any subject. Everyone always saw him as the dummy of the group, but that was only because he was shy and didn't really know how to relate to other people. Those who actually knew him (the Monkees included) knew that he was actually the smartest out of all of them. At least when it came to book knowledge. Micky knew how a lot more than he did about electronics and technology, but when it came to math, science, history, etc, Peter knew a lot more than the others.

Tonight was one of those nights that he would sneak out to call her. He waited until Davy was sound asleep and slowly and quietly crept out of bed. Allison worked late most nights, so she'd only just be getting home about this time and was expecting his call. He took the phone away from the bedrooms and next to the bathroom door so he could talk without waking up his friends. Once he settled in the corner, he dialed her number, which he'd memorized by now. She answered on the first ring, having been expecting his call.

"Hi, Peter," she said when she answered. A very large smile crossed his face at the sound of her voice.

"Hi, Allison," he answered. They talked for an hour about the various things they'd done so far this week among other things, but finally she asked him a very pointed question.

"Peter, when are you going to actually take me on a date?" she asked bluntly.

"Well, um," he started. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. He wanted to take her on a real date, but how could he? How could he explain that the Devil was trying to do them in and that meant he couldn't go anywhere alone. And he couldn't ask his friends to go with him because he knew they wouldn't approve of him going out with her given their situation. "I don't know. I'm really busy. Plus you live in Los Angeles and I live in Malibu."

"Yes, but it's really only an hour away," she answered. "And you just got done telling me you spent most of the week at home looking for gigs for you and your friends to play."

"Oh yeah," Peter said realizing he'd just lied very terribly. "I'm sorry. It's really complicated."

"You can tell me, Peter," she said.

"I really can't," Peter said. "You wouldn't really believe me."

"Does it have to do with all that research you were doing on the Devil?"

"Sort of."

"That research wasn't for a friend, was it?"

"Yes and no. It was for my friends, but it was also for me."

"So the Devil is trying to hurt you?"

"Yes. It's a really long story. Look, Allison, I really want to take you out; I would love to take you to this really nice Italian place I know of, but I can't really go anywhere alone and my friends aren't in a place where they trust any outsiders right now. They think everyone is out to get us. I can't say I blame them necessarily."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you, but they won't. That and I don't have any money."

"Well, that doesn't really matter. Times are changing. Girls can pay for things sometimes, too."

"I couldn't ask you to pay for me."

"Why? I like you, Peter. And I can afford it because I have a nice job and it would be something I really want to do."

"I really like you, too and it's not that I'm saying guys have to pay, but I would just feel guilty having someone else pay for me."

"I kind of expected as much from you, Peter," she said with a laugh. "It doesn't really matter anyway, though does it? If you can't go out because of your safety, I'm not going to push it. I really don't want anything to happen to you."

"Thanks, Allison."

"I have to go to bed now, but I'll talk to you in a few days, ok?"

"Sure, sleep well."

"You too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Peter said hanging up the phone. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall.

"Who was that?" said a voice from in the kitchen making Peter jump nearly a foot off the ground.

"What are you doing down here?" Peter asked once he realized it was Micky.

"Couldn't sleep," Micky answered. "Came down to get something to drink. Now you answer my question. Who's Allison?"

"How much did you hear?" Peter asked blushing.

"I heard that you want to take her out on a date but are too afraid to ask us to go with you."

"Well, yeah. Davy kinda berated Mike for going out with Michelle."

"True, but no one is saying that we should become hermits. I vouched for Michelle not just because I know her, but because Mike deserves to be happy and find a good girl. And I know she's good for him. I think the same thing of you. We all deserve to be happy. Davy's just bitter about girls right now."

"So you think it would be ok for me to go out with her?"

"Yes and no," Micky said. "We still need to be cautious. I think Mike might have something to say about it as well as Davy, but I on the other hand think there's such thing as being too cautious. Who knows how long this whole thing is going to last. But I do think you shouldn't be alone with her."

"So you'll go with me?"

"Tell you what, I'll go with you if you go with me."

"Where?"

"The magic shop, Peter."

"Oh yeah. You really think that's a good idea, don't you? Even after everything Mike and Davy said?"

"What, that it could be more dangerous? I really don't think it could be. From everything I've read most witches are actually good. Magic is neutral. It's how you use it. And the shop owner may be able to help us."

"Regan told us to keep a low profile, though. She said she'd work on it."

"Peter, it's been about 3 months. I have a really bad feeling that she's not going to be able to help us after all."

"So do I, actually."

"The sooner we figure this out, the sooner you can go out with Allison on your own and stop hiding her from Mike and Davy."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"And we'll be together. So if anything happens on your date or while we're in the magic shop, we can take care of each other."

"I guess you have a point."

"I won't tell Mike and Davy if you won't." Micky smiled at him. It was very hard to resist when he smiled like that. And he'd brought up some very good points. And Peter really wanted to take Allison on a real date instead of just calling her every few nights.

"Deal," Peter said finally.


	11. Magic Shop

Author's Note: Shorter chapter, but I hope you still like it. :D

Chapter 11: Magic Shop

Micky waited anxiously for Peter to finish getting dressed the next day. They were going to the magic shop to talk to the owner and see what other information they could find. Micky was unsure how he felt about keeping this a secret from Mike and Davy. He knew it was wrong to keep a secret from them, especially since they had to remain close now more than ever, but he knew that going to this shop was going to be a good idea in the long run. He couldn't explain it, but he had a really good feeling about doing this and a really bad feeling about Regan.

"You ready, Micky?" Peter said walking towards him.

"You guys going somewhere?" Mike asked from his spot at the table reading the newspaper.

"Yeah," Micky answered walking over by the door with Peter. "We're just going out to get some air. Maybe do a little window shopping."

"When are you going to be back?" Mike asked.

"Probably a few hours," Micky answered.

"Be careful," Mike cautioned.

"Of course," Peter said with a smile. "See you guys in a bit."

"Bye!" Micky waved. Peter and Micky walked out to the car in silence before Peter broke the silence after Micky started the car and drove off.

"I don't like lying to them," Peter said.

"I know," Micky replied. "Neither do I, but it wasn't a complete lie. We don't have any money to buy anything, so we are kind of window shopping."

"It's still wrong," Peter said.

"I know," Micky breathed. The rest of the drive to the shop was spent in guilty silence. When they finally reached the shop, they walked in somewhat cautiously. A beautiful woman behind the counter smiled and greeted them as they walked in.

"Hello!" she said. "How can I help you?"

"Uh…" Micky started unsure of how to really go about this. Most people would think they were crazy, but she wasn't really most people if she were running this shop. "We're sort of having a problem. A supernatural one."

"I see," she answered looking solemn now. "What sort of problem?"

"Well, there's a demon after us," Micky answered.

"That's not a good thing," she answered. "Do you know which one?"

"The Devil," Peter offered. The woman's face paled instantly and Micky briefly had second thoughts about coming here.

"And you're still alive?!" she asked in shock.

"I guess he doesn't want to kill us," Micky said.

"He wants to torture us," Peter added.

"Have you done any protection spells?" she asked.

"No," Micky answered. "We aren't witches."

"You don't have to be," she answered. "Magic surrounds everyone. It's in the air we breathe, the soil we walk on, the water we drink, and the fire we light to keep warm. It's everywhere, as long as you know how to tap into it. There's a book of protection spells over here."

"Thanks," Micky said following her to the corner of the store where there stood a rather large, old bookcase. "We really don't have any money though, so we were hoping we could just flip through and get some ideas." She turned and looked at him for a second before grabbing his hand. He jumped a little, but felt oddly relaxed at her touch. She looked at his hand as if it would answer a question for her for several moments that normally would have made Micky feel very uncomfortable.

"Yes, I can see you have been broke for a long time," she said looking at him with a smile. "But that doesn't mean that you don't have other riches. You have a very big heart and you and your friends share something special. That's why you make such tempting targets for the Devil. But that is also why you've been able to thwart his plans multiple times."

"You got all that from looking at his hand?" Peter asked.

"No," she answered with a slight laugh that made butterflies fly around in Micky's stomach. "I got that from a premonition. It's one of my gifts. I have a few and could help you. If you want, of course. Most spells, even done in protection and healing, cannot work without the consent of the recipient."

"We spoke to a woman named Regan," Micky offered. "She's a witch, too. She said she was going to try and find someone to help us. But that was three months ago."

"She hasn't contacted you since?" the woman asked.

"No," Peter answered.

"That may not be a good sign," the woman said. "You must be very careful. The Devil will do whatever it takes to win. Demons have no issues killing people simply because they get in the way. And someone trying to help you is definitely seen as getting in the way."

"You think he killed her because she's trying to help us?" Micky asked suddenly very afraid.

"It's a possibility," the woman said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't help us," Peter said taking the words straight from Micky's mouth. He couldn't stand it if an innocent person died because of them.

"I have long since been able to take care of myself," she said with a smile. She lifted her hand and a large crystal on the opposite side of the room floated delicately into her hand. "Visions are just one of my gifts. I have several. You don't need to worry about me."

"I still don't want to see anything happen to you," Micky said.

"Very well," she said. "It's entirely up to you. But should you change your mind, here's my card with my phone number on it." She waved her hand again and a small business card floated in front of Micky's face. He smiled and took it, examining the card. It was a very plain card with just her name, phone number, and the address to the shop on it. Her name was Piper Gray.

"Thanks," Micky said tucking the card gently in his back pocket.

"I also insist you take a few things with you," she said walking around and gathering up a few crystals and a few sticks of incense.

"You don't have to do that," Peter said.

"I insist," she said. "If I can do something to help you out, I want to. Crystals are very powerful for protection and concentrating energy. If you keep one under your pillow, it will help protect you while you sleep. Lighting incense captures energy from fire, the soil, and the air to help surround you with a blanket of protection as well if you use the right ones. Some bring luck, some bring protection, some bring healing. And you can borrow this book for as long as you need; it will explain everything and it has protection spells." She placed a book in the basket as well. It was old and leather-bound.

"We can't really repay you for your gratitude," Micky said.

"Who said anything about repaying me?" she smiled at him. "I run this shop for a reason; to help people. You are in genuine need of help. In fact, your lives depend on it. I can't just turn my back on that."

"You are very kind," Peter said.

* * *

Mike and Davy meanwhile spent time at the house. Davy was pacing around and it was really starting to irritate Mike. He knew his friend was just restless, but he still couldn't help but find it very annoying. He'd spent the morning looking through the paper for want ads as well as ads for auditions, but found nothing of value. The only places that were hiring, none of the boys were qualified for. So now he sat there watching Davy pace around the room.

"Davy, will you please stop?" Mike finally asked. Davy stopped and looked at him with a confused expression. "Pacing. Stop pacing. You're going to dig a track right into the floor. If you're that stir crazy, we can go out when Peter and Micky get back."

"I'm not stir crazy," Davy said. "I'm just worried."

"About?" Mike asked.

"About all this," Davy answered. "Don't you think it's weird that Peter and Micky didn't tell us where they were going?"

"No," Mike answered truthfully. "They're both big boys; they don't have to tell us what they're doing all the time."

"Well, what if something happens to them and we don't know where they are!?"

"Davy, nothing has happened for months."

"Exactly. Don't you think we're a little over-due?"

"I think you're a little too amped up and need to relax."

"How can I relax when I have no idea where Micky and Peter are?! They could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere and we wouldn't know it!"

"Davy," Mike said getting up and grabbing his friend by the shoulders somewhat forcefully to try and knock some sense into him. "Calm down. They are not lying dead in a ditch anywhere. You're going bonkers being cooped up here. I think this is the longest you've ever gone without going out with a chick, so maybe we can go out tonight and try and find you a date."

"How can you even suggest that?" Davy asked. "The last girl I went out with turned out to be trying to kill us!"

"She wasn't trying to kill us, she was trying to tear us apart, and I swear if you keep up this paranoid routine, you're going to drive ME crazy, so pull yourself together. Don't make me smack some sense into you." Davy was about to argue with Mike again when Peter and Micky walked in.

"Hey, guys!" Micky said.

"See, they're not dead," Mike said letting go of Davy.

"Something happen?" Peter asked warily eyeing Mike and Davy.

"No," Mike answered. "Davy's just losing his mind."

"No, I'm not," Davy argued.

"Then why were you thinking we were dead?" Micky asked.

"Because I didn't know where you were!" Davy said.

"We went out for some fresh air," Micky said. "Something I suggest you do sometime soon. I think you're little brain is beginning to become starved."

"I'm fine," Davy said. "I'm not going out there where I could run into another she-devil who wants to toy with us."

"Oh boy," Micky said rolling his eyes. "Davy we've been through this. What happened with Ariel is not your fault. You've got to get over that."

"I'm not playing the role of love-sick fool anymore," Davy countered.

"Who said that was your role, Davy?" Peter asked.

"Everyone who ever meets us," Davy said gloomily.

"Ok, so you'd rather be known as the crazy, paranoid, lunatic?" Micky asked. "Cause crazy is my bag."

"Micky, that's not helping," Mike chastised.

"I'm not crazy!" Davy argued.

"Why don't we all go out for a nice group dinner tonight, ok?" Mike said trying desperately to get Davy out of the house and socializing with the rest of the world.

"With what money?" Davy asked.

"Well, we could make sandwiches and have a picnic somewhere," Peter suggested.

"No thanks," Davy said.

"I know!" Peter exclaimed. "Let's practice! Music always calms everyone down!"

"Yeah," Micky and Mike agreed. Mike looked at Davy pleadingly.

"Ok, sure," Davy said. The group walked over to their makeshift stage area where they rehearsed for auditions and gigs. Mike picked up his guitar and started making sure it was still in tune. Micky took his place behind the drums and Peter picked up his own guitar. Davy walked over to the amp where his tambourine and maracas lay before turning back to them. "What happened to my maracas?"

"What do you mean?" Mike asked walking over to look. Davy picked them up and Mike saw that all four of them were broken. Micky stood up and peered over as well and Peter moved to stand next to Davy.

"They're broken," Davy said. "And so is my tambourine!" Mike picked up the tambourine and saw that that it had also snapped and several of the little metal discs fell to the floor.

"What in the world?" Mike mused.

"How did that happen?" Peter asked.

"Someone broke my stuff," Davy said getting a little angry.

"I didn't do it," Micky said.

"Neither did it," Peter added.

"Me neither," Mike put.

"Well, I certainly didn't do it, so one of you is lying," Davy said.

"Oh come on, Davy," Micky said. "How do you know it was one of us?"

"You're the only other people to come into this house," Davy said.

"Whatever happened, it was probably an accident," Peter said.

"Then why won't you tell me which one of you broke them?" Davy asked.

"Are you suggesting we did it on purpose?" Micky asked.

"If it was an accident, you'd have said something about it," Davy countered.

"Davy, that's not fair," Mike said. "No one here would do something like that."

"Whatever," Davy said. "Since I can't play, I'm going to my room."

"Davy," the other three called after him, but it was too late. Davy stormed off and slammed the door to the room he and Peter shared.

"What the heck just happened?" Micky asked.

"I don't know," Mike said. "You're sure neither of you broke these? Maybe you didn't realize you did it?"

"Positive," Micky answered.

"I would have remembered that," Peter agreed.

"Well, I definitely smell something off," Mike said setting the broken tambourine back down.

"You think the Devil did this?" Peter asked.

"Why would he break Davy's instruments?" Micky asked.

"Why else?" Mike said. "Make Davy think one of us is trying to sabotage him or something." Peter and Davy exchanged a look with each other.

"Well, guess we know the waiting is over," Micky said looking forlornly at the broken instruments.


	12. Rage

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the words of appreciation! You're wonderful reviews keep me going!

Chapter 12: Rage

Peter was extremely worried about Davy. He knew that deep down Davy knew that none of them would try and hurt him like that and that he was just getting so angry because he wasn't thinking straight due to the feelings of guilt he still harbored over everything that had happened with Ariel. He couldn't exactly blame Davy because he still felt guilty over the whole contract signing thing to begin with.

"I'm going to talk to Davy," Peter announced as Mike and Micky both moved to do exactly the same thing. Peter felt he had to do this and gave a look to Mike and Micky asking them to let him.

"Take it easy on him," Mike said. "He's wound pretty tight as it is."

"I will," Peter answered. Peter walked over to their bedroom door and knocked gently before walking in. Davy sat on the edge of his bed looking very enraged now. Peter wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but something had definitely changed in his friend now. As soon as he'd entered, Davy jumped up and whirled on him. The look on his face slightly terrified Peter.

"Get out of here, Peter," Davy growled.

"Davy, I wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened to your maracas and tambourine," Peter started.

"Oh, so you're the one who did it?!" Davy exclaimed.

"No, no," Peter said. He thought trying to talk to Davy would make things better, but it had looked like things were going very badly.

"I should have known it was you!" Davy exclaimed. "You're jealous of me, aren't you!? You wrecked my instruments because you know I have more vocal talent in my pinky than you do in your whole body!"

"Davy, no," Peter said now backing away. What was wrong with his friend? He'd never acted like this before. "Davy, I didn't. I'm sorry. Please calm down."

"If you didn't do it, why are you apologizing?!" Davy exclaimed advancing on him now. Peter backed up into the door full of terror. Why had his friend suddenly become so unhinged?

"Davy, I'm sorry it happened," Peter tried. "I'm sorry you're upset. We can get you some more. I'll even pay for them!"

"With the money that I helped earn!?" Davy said. "Everyone knows you don't really do much in this band!"

"Davy, please, think about what you're saying," Peter said. He was trying really hard not to take what Davy was saying personally. Something had clearly overcome Davy. There was no way he'd ever act like this on his own.

"I am thinking, Peter!" Davy exclaimed. "I'm thinking clearly for the first time in a long time! I can't believe all the mistakes I've made with you around!"

"Davy…" Peter felt a small tear finally escape his eye and he couldn't take it anymore. He turned and walked through the door. What he saw on the other side, however, wasn't much better. Mike was advancing on Micky with a knife in his hand.

"I've told you multiple times to clean up after yourself, Micky!" Mike was yelling.

"I did, Mike!" Micky answered clearly as terrified and confused as Peter was. Peter walked into the room hoping as Micky continued. Peter hoped he could at least diffuse _this_ situation. "I don't know how that got there. I cleaned the dishes last night. I swear, Mike."

"Oh, you think they magically just got there?!" Mike exclaimed.

"Yes!" Micky yelled. "You just said it yourself! The Devil broke Davy's instruments; he must have done that, too!"

"Mike, please calm down," Peter tried, but Mike wasn't paying attention to him. Davy had followed Peter out of the room, still enraged.

"Oh, that's weak, Micky!" Mike exclaimed. "Even for you! Why would he care about making dirty dishes?!"

"You're all seriously blaming the Devil for breaking my instruments!?" Davy yelled finally getting Mike's attention away from Micky. Not that it was a good thing, though.

"Well, now I'm having second thoughts on that," Mike answered. "It seems a little trivial, doesn't it?"

"Yes, so we can stop fighting about it," Peter tried.

"Trivial!?" Davy yelled. "You think my instruments are trivial?!"

"Davy, Mike, please stop," Micky pled. "Before someone says something they can't take back."

"Shut up, Micky!" Mike yelled.

"I bet you think _I'm_ trivial, too, don't you!" Davy yelled.

"Well, all you do half the time is shake a few maracas and bang a tambourine against your leg," Mike scoffed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to play guitar? Especially while you're trying to make sure they immature child standing next to you doesn't fall in love with half the audience!"

"Mike, leave him alone!" Peter pled. "Davy, no one thinks you're trivial. You're an important member of our group and we love you."

"Says the man who can't sing!" Davy spat back.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Micky said. "He's trying to talk some sense into both of you because you've both clearly lost it!"

"We have not lost it, Micky!" Mike barked. "You just can't handle taking responsibility around here! The only thing you can manage to do right is make a mess of everything you touch and goof off! You can't take anything seriously, can you!?" Peter turned to face Micky to try and comfort him, but Micky was now contorted in an expression of rage. For a brief second before, Peter thought he saw a flash of red light cross over his friend.

"Here's an idea: why don't you remove that pole from your backside and try to loosen up!" Micky exclaimed. Peter's heart sank; all three of his friends were yelling at each other. He felt so overwhelmed. Davy was yelling at Peter and Mike and calling them names he'd never heard before, but was sure they weren't nice at all; Micky was yelling at Mike and Davy and Mike was yelling at Micky and Davy, both yelling their own names and harsh words for each other. Peter was in the middle of it all and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep himself focused and centered.

"Guys, don't you see what's happening?" Peter pled on the verge of sobbing. "We're friends. We love each other. This is exactly what the Devil wants. We were told to stick together. Not to break our bond. Please listen to me!"

"Why should we listen to you?" Davy snapped. "It's not like you ever have anything intelligent to say!"

"Hey, don't be a jerk, Davy!" Micky said coming to Peter's defense. "At least he is trying! Unlike you two!"

"We're trying, Micky!" Mike yelled.

"Yeah, then how come Peter is the only one who went with me to the magic shop to try and find answers?!" Micky exclaimed.

"You did what!?" Mike boomed. "I specifically told you not to do that! I told you that you were going to get hurt!"

"Well, guess what, I didn't!" Micky yelled. "I don't need you to baby me! I know what I'm doing! And I don't take orders from you! You aren't the king around here!"

"Peter, why on earth would you go with him?" Davy yelled. "It's not safe out there anywhere and going into a place filled with magic is like painting a target on your back!"

"Not it's not!" Micky yelled. "You are both so paranoid! You had him so afraid of going out in the world that I had to convince him it was ok to go out on a date!"

"You're going out with someone!?" Davy exclaimed. "Are you that stupid!? Surely, even you aren't that stupid!"

"He's not stupid!" Micky snapped. "At least he has more sense to get to know a girl before running off and falling in love with her the second he sees her! That's what I call stupid!"

"No he just steals their portraits nearly getting us in trouble!" Davy snapped back.

"Oh, but that's better than nearly getting yourself killed, kidnapped, and turned into a freaking vampire over a girl!?" Mike scoffed.

"Yeah, all three of you were stupid enough to sign lifetime contracts at a dance studio and I had to bail you out!" Davy yelled.

"This coming from the man who didn't realize his boxing fights were being fixed?" Micky laughed. "You'd have to be dumber than a box of rocks to think you were actually knocking someone out by tapping them on the chin!"

"The man paints doors for crying out loud!" Davy exclaimed. "And you don't have any room to talk after being conned by that personal trainer!" Peter was finding it increasingly difficult to stay calm and to not take what his friends were saying personally. He shut his eyes and dropped to his knees trying to fight back more tears. He kept telling himself over and over again that this was the work of the Devil. The Devil was tearing his friends apart. Because of him. Because he was stupid enough to sign a contract without reading it over.

"Says the boy who was conned by an old lady after we tried to help you!" Mike snapped.

"You chained me to a freaking chair!" Davy snapped before pouncing back on Peter. "So who is it, Peter? That librarian? Or some complete stranger you both picked up off the street?"

"Who cares?!" Micky yelled. "He's actually going out in the world instead of shutting himself off like a freaking paranoid pyscho!"

"Peter, you really shouldn't be taking risks like that!" Mike yelled. "Who knows who she could be!?"

"You're going out with Michelle!" Micky snapped. "I don't see why you're special and he's not!"

"That's different!" Mike snapped.

"Only because you jumped all over Micky's leftovers!" Davy yelled.

"Don't talk about her like that!" Mike yelled.

"She is!" Davy snapped back. "You give me a hard time for being a love struck idiot, but I at least have the decency not to date my best mate's scraps!"

"She's not scrap!" Mike roared. "And Micky had to talk me into even talking to her!"

"I went out with her once, Davy!" Micky added. "She was never my girlfriend which makes her fair game for any of you!"

"Sure, whatever you say!" Davy yelled. "Not sure why anyone would even want to go out with someone Micky didn't even deem worthwhile!"

"That's it!" Mike growled and Peter heard a strange whistling sound followed by a yelp. He snapped his eyes open and saw that Mike had thrown the knife in Davy's direction. The room seemed still for a split second and Peter felt anger finally boil inside him. But he wasn't angry at Mike or Davy or Micky or even the Devil. He was angry at himself for letting things get this bad. He was angry at himself for being stupid enough to have dealt with the Devil and not known it. He was angry at himself for having let his friends sacrifice so much just to try and save him. He was angry at himself for letting his friends down.

* * *

The Devil stood outside the window of the Monkee's house. He was very pleased with his handiwork. He'd finally figured out how to set them all off. Davy had already been a ticking time bomb of guilt and boredom, so he was easy to manipulate into anger. All it took was a little magic to break his precious maracas and tambourine. The boys already pent up feelings snapped when he'd seen them and he of course took it out on his friends. The Devil had instructed his minion to bring Andras as the timing was finally right for their plan. Andras and the Devil had moved to the window in Davy's room and had seen the boy sitting on his bed. He had been angry at the broken instruments, but had also already started to calm down knowing his friends wouldn't ever do anything to hurt him. They had to strike in that second to keep Davy from pulling his feelings back in check. Andras infected him and a flash of red light covered the young boy just before Peter had come in.

Wanting to watch the events, but knowing they had to strike on the others first, they moved back to the kitchen window. The Devil snapped his fingers, and a dozen dirty dishes appeared in the sink. Just as he'd predicted, Mike got angry upon seeing them and turned on Micky. The Devil could tell he had been trying to stay calm, but knew he wouldn't be able to for long. He'd been worried for a moment that they had realized he'd broken the instruments, but soon found his plan was still going to work.

"Micky," Mike had asked. "What's this?"

"What's what?" Micky had answered looking confused.

"These dishes," Mike had answered. "I asked you to clean them up last night."

"I did," Micky had defended.

"Well, then how do you explain this?" Mike had asked while waving at the dishes and getting a little angrier thinking Micky had been lying to him.

"I don't know. All I know is they aren't mine."

"They sure look like what you used to make dinner last night."

"Did you see them when you made breakfast this morning? I swear I did the dishes last night."

"I wasn't paying attention this morning."

"Well, they weren't there this morning." This had been the perfect time for Andras to infect him with rage, too. Micky had his back turned so hadn't seen the red light flash over Mike as he became infected. He had been startled and frightened when Mike had grabbed the knife from the sink and begun advancing on him. The Devil took joy in watching everything else transpire, waiting for the right time to infect the other two. It didn't take long for Micky to get angry, even though Andras told him that the boy was fighting it. All it took was for someone to hurl an insult at Peter. Micky was protective and loyal and despite everything he'd been doing to fight it, he got angry. Then Andras had infected him, too.

It had taken Peter the longest, just as the Devil had suspected. He'd been fighting feelings of anger, but had finally succumbed like the rest once Mike had nearly killed Davy. He would have, too, if the Devil hadn't had the sense to divert the knife's path. He couldn't have them killing each other. Not yet. Not until they suffered more. And not until Peter had been infected with rage. Once Andras infected Peter, the fun had really started. And the Devil was there to watch it all transpire in maddening glee. He was winning.


	13. The Demon of Rage

Author's Note: Hope you like. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 13: The Demon of Rage

Micky couldn't explain the rage he felt inside him. He really couldn't figure out why he'd gone from being annoyed to a little miffed to being extremely enraged and ready to lash out in only a minute. He'd never felt anger on this level before. Even when the lives of his friends were in jeopardy. He knew instinctively this wasn't right and that something was wrong, but he couldn't fix it. He just could not force himself to calm down no matter how hard he tried. And he couldn't believe the things that were coming from his mouth. Multiple times he'd tried to force his mouth to stay closed because he knew he was saying things that he didn't mean, but he couldn't. Rage had complete control of him.

The things his friends were saying to him ripped through his heart like a hot knife. A voice in his mind told him that they didn't mean what they were saying any more than he did. Then Mike completely lost it and hurled a knife at Davy. For a moment, Micky thought the knife was going to hit Davy, but at the last second, it seemed to divert itself past Davy's head just over his shoulder. Something in Micky broke. The room was blanketed in a shocked silence, and Micky felt a new emotion rise within him: fear. But not for himself; for his friends. Something clicked in his mind: the unexplainable rage between them all, the knife that seemed to have a mind of its own, and the fact that a certain someone wanted them to suffer by splitting the bond that held them so close. Had the Devil somehow made all of them angry? There was no way this was about dirty dishes or broken maracas anymore. But before he could say anything, Davy launched himself at Mike in retaliation.

"You dirty little-" Davy yelled but the last word was cut off as the two crashed to the ground. Micky ran towards the tangled mess that was now two of his best friends. All anger dissipated from him as Mike landed a solid punch to Davy's jaw causing Davy to let go of Mike's neck. Micky grabbed Davy by the arm to try and pull him off Mike, but the little guy was a lot stronger than he seemed. Davy wrenched his arm out of Micky's grip and threw another punch at Mike.

"Guys!" Micky shouted as loud as he could, but his voice cracked with fear and desperation. "Guys, please, stop! Don't do this! Stop!" But neither one of them was listening. Mike kicked Davy off him and launched himself up before Davy could climb back on top of him. Then Mike stared at Micky and he thought for a second Mike might attack him. Micky raised his arms in time to block the punch Mike was throwing at him, but the force of it knocked Micky down. He had to figure out a way to calm his friends down, but they just resumed fighting each other. Micky did the only thing he could think of, and he grabbed a bed sheet and snuck up behind Davy first, wrapping it around Davy's waist and arms and pulling him backward away from Mike just as Mike was about to land another punch. He wasn't sure how he was able to move as fast as he was, but he credited it to the surge of adrenaline from having just been as angry as he was. He pulled Davy down into a chair and quickly tied the sheet in the tightest knot he could just before Mike rushed over to him. Micky ducked the blow this time and then grabbed Mike by the waist and pushed him to the floor before grabbing another bed sheet and doing the same thing to Mike that he'd done to Davy.

"Alright," Micky said out of breath as the two struggled to free themselves. "Now that you two aren't able to hurt each other anymore, we can talk this over and calm ourselves down. I'm pretty sure this whole thing is the work of…" he trailed off and looked around the room as a thought suddenly hit him. Something was missing. His heart sank as he realized what it was. "Where's Peter?"

"How in the world are we supposed to know that when you have us tied to chairs like animals!?" Davy exclaimed.

"I have you tied like that because you're acting like animals!" Micky spat. He was starting to get angry again. He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe. Long, deep breaths that expelled anger with each exhale. Once he'd sufficiently calmed down, he looked around and saw the back door open. He realized Peter must have gone out that way, so he darted after him.

"Hey!" Mike called after him, "Don't just leave us here like this, you jerk!" Micky ignored him and ran down the stairs taking them 3 and 4 at a time and nearly tripping over them. He saw Peter's blonde hair off in the distance and he ran towards him.

"Peter!" he called after him, but Peter kept walking. "Peter, come here!" Micky finally caught up to Peter and ran in front of him to try and block him. Micky's presence seemed to startle Micky. But just for a second.

"Move out of my way, Micky," Peter said.

"Peter, where are you going?" Micky asked.

"I have to do this, Micky," Peter said.

"Do what?" Micky said now growing concerned. He saw a little anger in Peter's eyes, which he'd never, ever seen before, but there was something else there, too. Something that made Micky sick to his stomach; extreme mourning.

"Just go away, Micky," Peter said moving past Micky. He sounded strange; almost robotic.

"Peter," Micky pled. "You have to help me. Davy and Mike just attacked each other. They've been poisoned by anger. You have to help me snap them out of it."

"They won't have anything to worry about anymore," Peter said.

"What are you talking about, Peter?" Micky asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the train tracks," Peter answered simply.

"Why?" Micky asked afraid to know the answer.

"So that none of you have to worry about me making problems for you anymore," Peter answered as if this were a stupid question. "This is all my fault. The Devil did this to us. He's mad at me for cheating him out of my soul."

"So you're just going to give it to him!?" Micky exclaimed. "Peter, you can't do this. You can't kill yourself?"

"Why not? I did this to you. I have to fix it. I have to make it better."

"Not like this!" Micky grabbed Peter and tried to pull him back, but Peter started fighting. He didn't have anything he could use as leverage this time, so Peter was able to slip out of his grasp. Micky looked around to find something, anything that could help him. The only thing he saw along the beach was a bottle that someone had left and a bunch of broken seashells. "Please forgive me, Pete," Micky said as he grabbed the bottle off the ground and brought it down on his friends head. Peter slumped unconscious and Micky caught him before he hit the ground. Micky dragged his limp friend back to the pad and up the stairs.

"What did you do to him!?" Davy exclaimed still tied to the chair when Micky walked in.

"Hush, Davy," Micky said tying Peter to a third chair. "Are you two feeling better?"

"Go rot, Micky," Davy answered.

"Well, you're still a bowl of sunshine," Micky sighed. "Mike?" Mike just glared at him for a second.

"Untie me, Micky, or I swear I'll-" Mike finally sneered.

"Ok!" Micky said cutting him off. "Obviously time-outs aren't working. I doubt Frued would work here since this seems supernaturally motivated, but I do know someone who might help us. But I really don't want to get her involved in this, so can you two try and work things out pretty please?"

"I'm not talking to that redneck," Davy said.

"Redneck?" Mike guffawed. "How dare you-" Micky quickly took an apple off the counter and shoved it in Mike's mouth to silence him. He grabbed another one for Davy.

"You put that in my mouth and-" Davy started but was cut off as Micky did exactly that.

"I cannot stay calm with you two yammering like that," Micky said. "Ok, you leave me no choice." Micky crossed the room and pulled the business card that Piper had given him out of his pocket as he did so. She answered on the third ring.

"Gray's Magic Shop," she said. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, Piper," Micky said. "It's Micky. From earlier today? Yeah, I changed my mind. Something happened and I don't know how to fix it."

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know exactly," Micky answered. "All I know is that one minute we're all fine and the next we are at each other's throats trying to kill each other over stupid stuff."

"Are you ok now?" she asked.

"Well, I am," Micky answered. "Not sure why, but I tell you, it is hard to stay calm and not flip out, but I somehow managed to get my friends restrained. I don't want to leave them like this, though. I have to find out what's wrong with them. Can you help?"

"Of course," she answered. "Put those crystals in a circle around your friends and light one of those incense sticks. It'll keep you and your friends protected in case he tries something else since the spell isn't working on you that well. Give me your address and I'll be there as soon as I can." Micky gave her their address and started to do what she asked him to. He felt Mike and Davy glaring at him the whole time.

"You guys can stop that now," Micky said. "This is for your own benefit. You'll thank me later. I hope." It only took half about 15 minutes for Piper to knock on the door. Micky yanked it open and let her in. She was carrying a few books in her arms and a bag was slung over her shoulder. She looked at him quizzically when she saw his friends.

"You gagged them?" she asked putting the books and bag down on the table.

"I had to," Micky said with a shrug. "They wouldn't stop being mean to each other and it was getting on my nerves."

"And him?" she said indicating Peter.

"He…uh…he was trying to kill himself," Micky said.

"So instead you knocked him out?" she asked arching her eyebrows.

"Again, I had to," Micky answered. Micky noticed a change in Mike in that moment. He whipped his head toward Peter and sadness and guilt replaced the anger on his face. "Mike?" Micky asked walking over to Mike. He tentatively took the apple out of Mike's mouth.

"You didn't say Peter was trying to kill himself," Mike said. "Oh, God. What did I do?"

"You're back!" Micky said wrapping his arms around Mike in a hug.

"Yes," Mike said. "Why was Peter trying to kill himself?"

"He feels guilty," Micky answered moving to untie Mike. "He was going on about how this was his fault and if he gave himself over to the Devil it would fix everything and we wouldn't hate each other anymore."

"I don't think that would have worked," Piper said.

"Mike, this is Piper," Micky introduced. "She runs the magic shop we sort of didn't tell you we went to. Sorry."

"It's ok," Mike said. "If she can help us fix this, then I guess it's a good thing you went."

"I think I can help," she said. "I just have to figure out what happened to all of you. You said you were fighting about little things?"

"Yeah, I think," Mike said. "I don't even recall being that angry. I was a little upset about there being dishes in the sink, but that's it. And of course I was mad about our entire current situation."

"Davy was mad about some broken instruments," Micky supplied pointing at Davy who was still glaring angrily at Micky and Mike.

"And you and Peter?" she asked. "Why were you mad?"

"I wasn't at first," Micky answered. "I got a little put off that Mike was yelling at me, but then Davy and Mike starting going all World War 3 on each other, and something just kinda happened. It was like anger took over my body and I started saying and doing things I didn't mean. I was trying really hard to stay calm before that knowing the Devil had something to do with it, but I couldn't fight the anger for very long."

"Me too," Mike said.

"I don't know what happened to Peter," Micky said.

"One minute he's trying to calm us all down, and the next he's disappeared," Mike added.

"When did he disappear?" Piper asked as she started flipping through one of the books she'd brought. It looked very old and as though it would fall apart at any moment.

"Right after I uh…" Mike trailed off, guilt once again etched on his face. Micky placed a hand on Mike's shoulder to comfort him. "Right after I threw a knife at Davy."

"You did what?" Piper asked.

"It missed him," Mike offered in defense. "I can't believe I did that." Mike sunk back into the chair with his face in his hands.

"It's ok, Mike," Micky said. "It wasn't really you. Something was messing with us."

"I think I know what," Piper said. "But, Micky, how did you snap out of your anger?"

"I don't really know," Micky answered. "One minute, I'm ready to clobber Mike myself and the next I was overcome with fear more than anger. It was when Mike nearly…well, when he threw the knife."

"You were afraid he was going to kill Davy?" she asked. Mike groaned again in guilt and buried his face further in his hands.

"Yeah, but the knife didn't hit Davy," Micky said quickly to try and alleviate Mike's guilt some. "It swerved."

"That's probably because the Devil was watching and didn't want any of you to die," she answered. "I think you were infected with rage by a demon named Andras. Here he is." She moved the book so that Micky and Mike could see it. There was a hand painted picture of a rather greasy looking man with long hair.

"Never seen him," Micky said.

"Well, you don't have to," she answered. "It says here that he's the demon of rage. He takes anger and amplifies it to the extreme until someone commits an act of violence."

"Well then why didn't I snap out of it when I threw the knife?" Mike asked.

"It doesn't say you snap out of it," she answered. "It just says that's how far it amplifies the anger. You snapped out of in on your own. Out of concern for your other friends. Micky was worried about Davy and you were worried about Peter."

"So how do we get Peter and Davy to snap out of it?" Micky asked.

"And why wasn't I concerned about Davy?" Mike asked.

"You were," she answered, "but your rage was more toward him at the time since he was the one you attacked. It says here that no one has ever been able to fight off the rage once they've been infected. There have even been wars started because of Andras. I think that because of your bond and because the two of you were fighting your feelings from the start, both of you were able to fight it more. The infection didn't take completely because you weren't angry enough. Davy and Peter must have been."

"So we have to make them not angry anymore?" Micky asked.

"No," she said. "Nothing you say or do will calm them down. In fact, the anger is still in you. It's the reason why you had to gag them, Micky. You're just controlling it right now, but you could both easily loose that control. The only way to stop it is to kill Andras."

"How do we do that?" Mike asked.

"You can't," she answered. "But I can."

"That will be really hard if you're dead," said a voice none of them recognized. Mike and Micky jumped and standing in their living room was the Devil with a sadistic smile and a man that looked an awful lot like the painting of the demon that had cursed them with anger.


	14. Overcoming Anger

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for your reviews! Please keep them coming! They boost my morale and keep me pumped and cranking out more!

Chapter 14: Overcoming Anger

Mike felt a new sense of rage rush through him at the sight of the Devil and his accomplice. They had done this to Mike and his friends. They had made Mike nearly kill Davy. They had made Peter become so angry with himself that he was willing to kill himself to spare his friends. They had made Mike and Micky and Davy go through the turmoil of being angry at their best friends. They had made Micky hurt Peter and restrain Mike and Davy. They had made his friends suffer. They deserved to pay for that. Mike and Micky exchanged a look with each other. Normally they would have been terrified and taken off running, but this time was different. The rage they'd been infected with was indeed still there, but now it had a new outlet for both of them: the two who'd infected them.

"You've got a lot of nerve to show yourself after what you did," Micky sneered sounding about as angry as he'd been half an hour ago.

"I am not afraid of you," Andras spat back. "You're mortals. You can't do anything to me."

"Care to test that theory?" Mike hissed angrily. Mike channeled the rage he was feeling into energy and speed and rushed over to where the knife was still in the wall that he'd thrown at Davy. He yanked it out and spun around to throw it, but Andras had also rushed toward Mike. Before Andras reached him, Micky charged too. He tackled Andras to the ground and landed a good solid punch to the face. Andras disappeared with a bright flash of light causing Micky to temporarily become confused. Mike didn't see where he'd disappeared to, but a second later, he heard movement behind him. He whirled around to see Andras rushing towards him. Mike instinctively held the knife out in front of him, but it didn't pierce the demon as he rushed toward Mike. Instead, the demon seemed to rush _through_ Mike. Mike heard a ringing in his ears, but he also heard laughter. The Devil's laughter. Mike felt a heaviness come over him. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. Yet he was. His body turned back toward Micky who had a look of fear on his face.

"A little trick that isn't in your little books," the Devil said with a smile. "Andras can possess his victims after they've been infected."

"Possess?" Micky echoed with a slight squeak of fear. He then turned to face Mike and backed away slightly. "Mike? If you can hear me, buddy, you have to fight him. I'm really sorry about what I said." Mike was confused for only a second. But he understood what had happened as soon as his body lunged for Micky with the knife above his head. Andras had possessed him and was going to kill Micky while in Mike's body.

"_No, no, no, no!" _Mike screamed, but he couldn't hear himself. Micky jumped out of the way in time, and started to run around the house while Mike's body chased him. The Devil seemed to be too preoccupied in enjoying Mike's situation to pay attention to Piper, however. Either that or he didn't think she'd be able to do anything. If that was the case, he underestimated her. From the moment Andras took over Mike's body, she started flipping through another book of hers. Suddenly, however, she stopped and grabbed her bag. She pulled out a candle and quickly lit it before reading something from her book. She hadn't gotten two words out, however, when the Devil realized what she was doing and whirled on her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he sneered. "You don't want to get yourself involved with these boys. It'll just be a death sentence for you, little girl."

"I'm not a little girl," she spat and flicked her wrist in his direction. The Devil flew across the room as though hit by a large truck. He smashed through the window and tumbled out onto the beach below them. But Mike's body had caught up and backed Micky into a corner at this point. Andras watched the Devil fly out the window, but quickly turned his attention back to Micky. He didn't see Piper flick her hand in his direction and was taken by surprise when he was hoisted in the air seconds before plunging the knife down and killing Micky. Instead of flying out the window like the Devil had, he hovered high in the air by the ceiling.

"How are you doing that?" Micky asked Piper, but she ignored him and started to read out of her book again.

"Evil that dwells, I banish thee, stay no more, and set him free," she said. Mike suddenly felt very hot and the pressure around him was lessening. "Micky, catch him." Micky ran out from his hiding spot just as Mike started to fall. Micky didn't quite catch him, but rather cushioned his fall as Mike fell on top of him. Mike looked up to see Andras was floating above him for a second before he was sent flying across the room. He hit the wall and collapsed to the ground in pain. In the time it took him to get up, Piper sent the knife Mike had been holding across the room and impaled Andras with it. It looked like he was being electrocuted before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, screaming in agony.

"Well, that was fun," Micky said sarcastically pushing Mike off him. Mike stood up and held his hand out to help Micky up.

"Sorry," Mike said. "Are you ok?"

"Fine," Micky said rubbing his head. "Mostly. Just a little bruised. You sure are heavy for a skinny guy."

"Sorry," Mike said with a slight laugh. Piper ran over to the window and looked down at the beach.

"He's not there," she announced. Mike suddenly tensed again. He'd forgotten about the Devil. They didn't have to wait long to figure out where he went; he appeared in the kitchen with a puff of smoke staring daggers at Micky and Mike.

"You lost," Micky said. "Again. That's three times we kicked your sorry behind. Why don't you give up now before we really make you sorry?"

"Give up?" the Devil repeated. "You only think you've won. I didn't anticipate you finding an especially adept witch to help you. The other woman only proved a nuisance. It was all too easy for me to get her out of my way. Don't think I won't do the same with this one."

"Hey, your beef is with us," Micky said. "Leave her out of this."

"I gave her the option to stay out of it," the Devil answered. "She chose not to."

"I think I proved myself more than capable of defending myself against you," Piper said defiantly. "I've handled my share of demons, and I can handle more. You really don't scare me."

"Have it your way," the Devil answered. "But I'm not done with any of you."

"Bring it on," Mike answered. The Devil narrowed his eyes at him as though he were contemplating something. Mike tried to make himself look intimidating by standing up as straight as he could and narrowing his eyes right back. The Devil smiled and disappeared in a puff of smoke again.

"You think challenging him was a good idea?" Micky asked.

"Well, asking him to leave us alone didn't work," Mike answered. "Trying to show him we aren't afraid of him seemed like a good idea."

"But we are afraid of him," Micky answered.

"Yeah, but he doesn't need to know that," Mike answered. Micky smiled and Mike turned to Piper. "What happened to that Andras guy, demon thingy?"

"Demon," Piper answered. "He's dead."

"So are Davy and Peter ok now?" Micky asked. Mike walked over to where his friends were still tied up. Peter was still passed out, but Davy had a look of fear in his eyes.

"I don't know," she said. "Probably. Usually killing a demon reverses his magic."

"How do you feel, Davy?" Mike asked taking the apple out of Davy's mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Mike," Davy started rambling really quickly. "I didn't mean anything I said. I didn't mean to hurt you, either. I don't know what came over me."

"Relax!" Mike said with a chuckle. Micky moved to quickly untie both of them. "We all said some pretty horrible things to each other. None of us meant any of it."

"Well, we had to mean it a little," Micky said taking Mike off guard. When Davy and Mike looked strangely at him, he elaborated. "Well, that demon only enhances what's already there, right? Peter was already feeling guilty for all of this, so that anger towards himself was only amplified. But it was already there. And for the sake of clearing the air so we don't get taken advantage of again, I will admit that I was a little mad that you guys had made Peter feel so bad about wanting to take that librarian out. I think he deserves to have someone who cares about him, just like the rest of us, and let's face it: with Peter, that doesn't happen that often. So it made me a little, only a little, upset that you guys were so paranoid that you made him have to hide her from us. He shouldn't have had to do that. He should be happy and do what he wants with whoever he wants. What all of this means is that to some extent, no matter how small, we _do_ have problems with each other, and we did, even if it was just a little, mean what we said." Mike was at a loss for words. Micky made a really good point. Had he really meant the things he said? In some very small way that wasn't important enough to ever bring up before?

"You're right," Mike said after a moment. "We never should have done that to Peter. He deserves better. And Micky, I guess I do sometimes wish you would be a little more responsible and not goof off all the time. I love you and your sense of humor, but sometimes I just wish you'd help out more with chores and stuff. And Davy, I don't think you're trivial at all. I know it's not easy what you do, and you really are important to all of us. But it is a little frustrating to have to worry about you all the time. It's because I care about you so much, that I'm terrified you're going to get yourself hurt over a girl. But I don't think you're an immature child."

"I'm sorry, too," Davy said. "I don't think you guys are stupid. I just do sometimes feel a little like an extra. More like the pretty face of the group than an actual contribution. You guys write songs, play guitar and drums, and just have so much more talent than me."

"That's not true, Davy," Micky said. "I've never seen anyone dance the way you do for one, and for two you have a great voice. And you've taken over on the drums for me several times when I wanted to get out in front. And you've even played bass when Peter plays the keys."

"But I'm not as good as you guys are at it," Davy said.

"Maybe not, but you're more versatile than we are," Mike said feeling bad for his friend. Had they really made Davy feel like this? He vowed to put Davy in the spotlight a little more from now on.

"And being the pretty face is pretty important too," Micky added. "If we didn't have a pretty face, I doubt we'd get as many bookings as we do." Davy laughed a little, but still looked guilty.

"I said a lot of bad things to both of you," Davy said. "I didn't mean what I said about you dating Micky's scraps. I've never met her, but I was a little upset I guess that you were dating someone and I wasn't. And a part of me does think it's wrong to go out with a mate's ex."

"It's ok, Davy," Mike said. "I know you didn't mean it. I do feel bad for dating an ex of Micky's though."

"She's not an ex," Micky said with a smile. "All I did was take her to Homecoming!"

"Did you kiss her?" Davy asked. Mike looked at Micky for an answer; he hadn't even brought this up with Micky.

"Not really," Micky answered laughing a little. "I went in to kiss her while we were at the top of the stairs, but I fell down the steps and twisted my ankle."

"Sounds about right," Mike said laughing.

"We decided we worked better as friends after that," Micky continued. "So it was one date that ended badly without even a kiss. Ergo, never my girlfriend so it's fine. And besides, even if she were, I would be ok with it because she makes Mike happy. And that's what's really important."

"Thanks, Micky," Mike said smiling and gripping Micky's shoulder appreciatively. "That really means a lot."

"I said horrible things to Peter," Davy said after a moment. "In our room, I said he was jealous because I have more singing talent in my pinky than he does in his whole body. I don't even know where that came from. I don't mean that at all. And I feel terrible."

"When he wakes up, we'll all talk about it," Mike said.

"I am awake," Peter said startling them all.

"Peter!" Micky said rushing over to him and hugging him. "I'm so glad you're ok! I was worried I really hurt you!"

"It's ok, Micky," Peter said. "But I have a headache, so can you let go now?"

"Yeah," Micky said immediately releasing him. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Peter repeated. "Thank you for stopping me, Micky."

"Don't mention it, Pete," Micky answered now untying Peter.

"Peter, I'm so sorry," Davy said. "I think you're a terrific singer and I know you aren't stupid. You're just different and I'm really, really sorry."

"It's ok, Davy," Peter said.

"I think maybe I was the one who was jealous," Davy said. "You play so many instruments, and you write really great songs; I am jealous of you. Not the other way around."

"Actually, I am a little jealous, Davy," Peter said. The other three looked at Peter quizzically. It wasn't really like Peter to be jealous. "Well, you always win spin the bottle. I'm jealous of that." Mike and the others laughed. It was a deep, jovial laugh that they all needed after everything that had happened. Mike felt so much better with just a simple action. "In all seriousness though," Peter continued, "you guys know I didn't take what you said personally. I knew you guys weren't yourselves. I knew there was something wrong with you. That's why I go so angry with myself."

"You blamed yourself for what was happening to us," Mike said. "But you shouldn't. It's not your fault. We all had a part in thwarting the Devil and you know why?"

"Cause you didn't want him to take my soul," Peter answered.

"Yeah, but why didn't we want him to take your soul, Pete?" Micky asked with a smile. "Because none of us could stand to live without you."

"Thanks, guys," Peter said smiling. "So what exactly happened after I was knocked out?"

"I dragged you back here," Micky answered. "I'd already tied Davy and Mike up because they were trying to hurt each other and when they wouldn't calm down, I called Piper." Peter looked over at Piper who had thus far stayed still and silent letting the boys work out their issues. She smiled, however, when they all looked at her. "She came over and then Mike got possessed by this demon of rage called Andras that had infected us with anger and she kicked the Devils butt out the window, then dispossessed Mike and kicked Andras's butt and killed him."

"Wow," Peter said.

"It was nothing," she said. "I've killed a few demons before."

"Really?" Davy asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I am a little more powerful than your average witch, so I could either choose to ignore my gifts or help people. I chose to help people."

"That's really dangerous," Mike said. "The Devil just said he was going to try and kill you now."

"It's dangerous, yes, but it's worth it," she answered. "The lives I've saved with my gifts makes everything worth it. Plus we have our own protectors. If we get hurt or anything, we have…they're sort of like angels that can heal us. It's our karmic reward for risking our lives for others. Not many witches do what I do and go out and hunt demons, but I couldn't stand to sit idly by while innocent people died for no reason."

"You really think he killed Regan then?" Davy asked. "If you have an angel protecting you, then maybe she does too and she's not dead."

"I said they're like angels," Piper said. "They aren't. Everyone has a guardian watching over them whether they are a witch or not. Christians call them guardian angels, some Native Americans call them spirit guides, and others just call them guardians. They are invisible and you never see them. But they can't always save you. Sometimes it's just your time to go. The guardians I was referring to are different. They're similar, but I actually get to see them and they interact with me. They also have the power to heal me when I get hurt. All witches have them, but some don't need them because they don't fight demons, so they don't really know about them and can't call out for help when they need it. I am afraid that Regan is probably dead though. He wouldn't have said what he said if he hadn't killed her."

"I should call Father Murphy," Micky said after a moment. "See if he's heard from her." Mike felt terrible. If Regan had died because of her involvement with them…he just couldn't take the guilt. Added to the guilt he already felt for nearly killing Davy and Micky, even if he hadn't been completely in control of himself at the time. Then there was the glaring fact that the Devil would once again be back with a vengeance and now Piper was in danger. He sank into a chair and wished that Regan wasn't hurt. That everything in their lives would just go back to normal.


	15. Eye of the Storm

Author's Note: Thanks for all the kind reviews. You're all wonderful!

Chapter 15: Eye of the Storm

Over the next several days, Piper was at the Monkees' house a lot. She had begun several protection spells on the boys and hung protection charms throughout the house. None of them had heard anything more from the Devil, but they weren't surprised. He'd waited 3 months in between attacks the first time and they expected as much again. Mostly they were waiting to hear from Father Murphy about Regan. When Micky had called, he'd told them he hadn't heard from her but that he'd call and see if he could get in contact with her. Micky and Piper were now sitting at the kitchen table flipping through books and searching seemingly endlessly for a spell to stop the Devil from attacking them again in the future, Mike and Peter were out on a double date, and Davy was standing on the patio watching the waves of the ocean below them.

They all still harbored small feelings of guilt over their angry outbursts, but Davy and Mike held the most. Mike still wasn't able to forgive himself for nearly killing Davy, no matter how many times the others tried to convince him that he wasn't at fault for that. Davy still hated himself for the things he said to Peter, even though Peter had told him numerous times that Peter knew he didn't mean it. There wasn't much Micky and Peter could say or do to sway them, so they had decided to just give it up and let them get over it on their own. All the same, they did make an effort to go out of their way to make Mike and Davy feel appreciated as much as they could. Micky had just turned to a page depicting a rather grotesque looking demon when the phone rang. He jumped so high out of his chair that he nearly fell off. Piper giggled a little under her breath as he picked himself up and answered the phone.

"Hello," Micky said in the phone.

"Hello, Micky," said the voice of Father Murphy on the other end. He sounded very saddened. "I have some bad news. I spoke to Regan's family. It turns out they found her body."

"Body?" Micky croaked out and sank into a chair just as Davy walked in from the patio. Davy froze in his tracks at the word and stared worriedly at Micky. Piper stopped laughing and walked over to him to place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Yes," Father Murphy answered. "It appears she had a heart attack 3 months ago."

"Heart attack?" Micky echoed. Peter and Mike walked in at that moment and when they heard what Micky was saying, the smiles they wore on their faces were suddenly replaced with frowns of worry.

"Yes, not long after you left it would seem," Father Murphy said.

"She was fine when we left!" Micky exclaimed.

"Heart attacks are very sudden," Father Murphy said. "You are fine one minute and the next…" Micky didn't know what to say. He knew it couldn't have just been a heart attack, but didn't want to alarm the Father any further. He seemed to already be upset enough.

"Ok, Father Murphy," Micky finally said. "Thank you for letting us know." Micky hung up the phone and looked at his friends. "Regan died three months ago. They said she had a heart attack right after we left."

"It wasn't a heart attack," Mike said sinking into another chair.

"It could be something that mimics one," Piper said. "I know it probably doesn't help, but her death isn't your fault."

"Isn't it?" Micky asked. "How is it not our fault? She'd be alive if we hadn't talked to her!"

"You don't know that," Piper said. "It could have just been her time. Everything happens for a reason. Besides, there's no way you could have known you were putting her in danger just by asking questions."

"We _should_ have known," Mike said.

"Piper's right," Peter said. "How could we have known? We didn't think the Devil wanted us to suffer. We thought he wanted us dead. So we would have just assumed that he would have left everyone else alone and focused on us."

"Doesn't matter," Mike said. "We are a danger to everyone around us now."

"So what, we just give up?" Davy asked. "We just cut off all contact with the outside world?"

"If we have to," Mike answered. "It's exactly what you're doing, isn't it?"

"Don't you get it?" Davy said. "We're letting him win."

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked.

"Beating ourselves up," Davy said. "Feeling guilty for things out of our control. Me locking myself up in here and avoiding women; us being too afraid to go anywhere alone; Mike feeling guilty for throwing a knife at me even though it was beyond his control; me feeling guilty for what I said to Peter. We can't just become recluses. That's letting him win. He wants us to suffer, and look at what we're doing."

"Little man has a point," Peter said.

"A very valid point," Piper added. "Yes, mourn for Regan. But don't throw your lives and your happiness away because of something you couldn't control. And I'm not just talking about Regan. If you do that, you let him win. Even in a small way."

"So what do we do then?" Micky asked.

"Focus on finding a way to put a permanent stop to him," Piper said. "But don't stop doing what you would normally do. Go out with girls you like. Play your music. Live your lives. Who knows, if he sees he's not affecting you, he may just give up."

"I doubt that's going to happen any time soon," Mike said.

"Probably not, but that's no reason not to try," Peter said. "I made a date with Allison next week, and I want to keep it. I really like her. And I could tell you really like Michelle, Mike. I think you should call her and schedule another date with her, too."

"And what if the Devil decides to kill her, too?" Mike asked.

"If he does, he'd want you to be there and you are strong enough to save her," Piper said. "You've proven that before. And I don't plan on leaving you guys alone until I know you're safe, so I can protect her too."

"You can't think like that anyway, Mike," Micky said finally agreeing with the others. "They're right. We can't go around being so paranoid anymore. It's playing directly in his hands. I bet he's laughing at us right now."

The Devil had spent the last several days doing the opposite; he was seething. Once again the boys had thwarted him and killed Andras. How were they able to fight their anger? Andras must not have been as powerful as the Devil thought. It was Andras that had failed him; just like it had been the Wesen that had failed him before. He had to find a more evil, more sinister demon to torture them. But he'd spent the last several days contemplating just that only to come up empty. His minion came in the chamber now and bowed upon entry, but the Devil didn't care.

"What!?" he roared.

"Arcesso wishes to speak with you, sir," his minion answered rather squeakily. At least the Devil could instill fear in someone. The Devil smiled a little as he noticed just how much his minion was trembling.

"Fine," the Devil muttered somewhat curious as to what the demon wanted; Arcesso wasn't the gloating type of demon. The minion bowed again, so low his nose scraped the bottom of the floor before scurrying out. A moment later, Arcesso hovered into the chamber. "What is it, Arcesso?"

"I was wondering if you had thought up another plan yet," Arcesso answered.

"I wasn't aware you were that interested," the Devil answered.

"Let's just say you've grabbed my interest," Arcesso answered.

"Why?" the Devil answered.

"Boredom," Arcesso answered. "I've been alive thousands of years and I don't venture above the underworld. And let's face it, I know more demons than you do; you need my help, so why question it?"

"Risk of sabotage," the Devil answered.

"Why would I sabotage you?"

"Entertainment? How should I know."

"I simply have nothing better to do with my time. Unless you have an idea of what to do next and aren't in need of my knowledge…"

"No, I haven't thought of anything else," the Devil answered. He was wary of the motives of the other demon, but had to admit being stuck down here was rather boring. And he could use Arcesso's knowledge to his advantage. Although the Devil supposed it could also be entertaining for Arcesso to watch him squirm in defeat and anger. He'd have to be very careful with how he proceeded with this.

"Well, if you want someone dead, send the most ruthless creature I know of," Arcesso said. "The Executioner."

"Which one?" the Devil asked more out of curiosity. He had no intention of letting them die yet; they hadn't suffered enough. Arcesso waved his hand and a slightly blurry image of a very fierce looking demon appeared next to them. He was incredibly tall, possibly 3 to 4 feet taller than the average man and he was very muscular. He wore nothing but a long bloody executioner's apron and a very large metal triangular device on his head, if he even had a head under that thing. His fingers even seemed to be fused together as one and he dragged behind him the largest sword the Devil had ever seen. It appeared to be even taller than the demon itself was and was stained with the blood of previous victims. It looked sharp and heavy enough to pierce through solid steel. Altogether he was a rather repulsive yet intimidating creature; a creature that was so terrifying, it probably would have given the Monkees simultaneous heart attacks just upon seeing it.

"I believe mortals call him Pyramid Head. At least those few that have seen him and lived to talk about it, which isn't very many. He has never missed a target."

"Then how have people survived?"

"They weren't targets. Merely in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want the boys dead. Not yet."

"Oh?"

"Death will only offer a reprieve from their suffering. If they're dead, they can't feel pain since they certainly won't be coming down here."

"No, I guess they wouldn't. So you've tried to make them suffer by splitting them apart, but they have thus far proven to be a much tighter bond than you expected. Am I right?"

"They can be broken; I just have to figure out how. I've come close."

"Not close enough it would seem. Instead of giving them what they want, why not take it away."

"What do you mean?"

"Take away what they want. Destroy what they hold dear."

"That's each other."

"Sir, if I might interject, sir," the Devil's minion said squeakily from behind Arcesso.

"What is it?" the Devil asked irritably. "This better be good."

"Sir, I've been watching them like you asked, sir, and two of them seem rather attracted to some females, sir," the demon stuttered. "Maybe you could kill the girls they like?"

"That would work," Arcesso said.

"For two of them," the Devil said.

"So? It's a step forward."

"I want to see just how attached they are to these girls," the Devil said. "Then I will decide."

"If you do decide to kill them, are you going to do it yourself?" Arcesso asked.

"No, I will want the boys to watch," the Devil answered. "It will be all the more tragic. Their nightmares will then be plagued by the visions of those they care for dying a most brutal and horrific death."

"So who will you send to do it?" Arcesso asked.

"Not that thing," the Devil waved to the image of the bloody executioner. "I don't think he'll be able to control himself and leave the boys alone. And that sword itself looks like if someone touched it they'd die."

"They would."

"But I want it to be brutal."

"And symbolic?"

"Symbolic?" the Devil repeated questioningly.

"The boys have given their hearts to the girls, what better way for them to die than to rip out their hearts?"

"That does sound very fitting."

"I know just who to send."

Over the next month, the Monkees slowly got back to their normal lives as Piper had suggested. Peter and Mike had gone out on several more dates with Michelle and Allison (which was taxing since both girls lived about an hour's drive away in opposite directions, but the girls liked the boys so much they would take the bus or drive to Malibu most times), and both men were becoming quite enamored with the girls. This, of course, made Davy and Micky very happy. Davy had gotten back out there as well, but only just. He'd gone out with two girls, but had only had one date with each. Micky on the other was getting close to Piper. He really liked her, but every time they were together for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to ask her out. He wasn't sure what it was because he'd asked a lot of other girls out with no problem. But there was something about Piper that made him nervous. He wasn't intimidated by her powers; he'd gotten used to that when she'd float a coffee cup into her hand when she didn't feel like getting up. Maybe he just thought that she saw him as just a man that needed her help and nothing more. She never seemed to tell him that she liked him, after all. But apparently Mike, Peter and Davy all saw something he didn't.

"Hey, Piper," Mike said with an odd smile on his face when she came over early one morning. "Come on in."

"Hi," she answered smiling back.

"You look really pretty today," Davy said with an equally odd smile. "Doesn't she, Micky?"

"What?" Micky asked startled that Davy had put him on the spot like that. But now he suddenly knew why Mike and Davy were smiling so much. "Yes, she's always pretty."

"Thank you, Micky," Piper said laughing a little.

"I had a great date last night," Mike added sitting down at the kitchen table. "It was at a really nice place up the street from here. It's a perfect date restaurant. I highly recommend it." Micky narrowed his eyes at Mike knowing exactly what Mike was up to; he wasn't being very subtle about it.

"Really, I'll have to go next time a guy asks me out," Piper said. Micky thought he saw her quickly glance his direction, but wasn't sure.

"Oh, will you two stop beating around the bush!?" Peter exclaimed. "You two like each other. It's obvious to all of us, so, Micky, here's some money. Ask her out. Mike, Davy and I will be outside to leave you guys alone." Micky was dumbfounded as Peter threw some money down on the table and left with Mike and Davy right behind him.

"I thought we said we were going to let them ease into it?" Mike said quietly as they left.

"Well, that was…" Piper said trailing off and staring at them also a little dumbfounded.

"Blunt?" Micky asked.

"Yes, blunt, but…are they right?" Piper asked. Micky felt himself blush a little and he quickly looked away from her.

"Yeah," Micky said. "I do like you. I've just been too nervous to talk to you about it."

"Why?"

"I don't really know," Micky answered. "I guess maybe I thought you didn't see me the same way." Piper laughed a little. Micky opened his mouth to say something back, but lost all words when she leaned in and kissed him.


	16. A Strange Audition

Author's Note: So glad someone got my Pyramid Head reference! Not sure if anyone was going to get that cause it's from a very dark, gruesome game, but he's my all-time fave monster. So far, I've only created two demons. Arcesso, which is actually the Latin word for "I summon", and the Devil's minion who has yet to be given a name, but I picture him as a cross between dobby the house elf (only in nervousness cause Dobby is one of the cutest creatures ever) and the beadle from Sweeny Todd (the number of times he says "Sir" over and over again).

Chapter 16: A Strange Audition

Over the next month, Mike, Peter and Micky all grew closer to their respective girlfriends. Davy got out a little more and had taken up to going out with 2 girls a week, but still was bouncing from girl to girl and couldn't find a steady girlfriend. It seemed to the boys his trust issues still needed some work, but none of them knew how to help their little friend. So they tried not to flaunt their own relationships so much around Davy so as not to make him feel left out. Mike and Peter couldn't really go out with their girls all that often because of the distance between them, but they were finding a way to make it work. Micky on the other hand was seeing Piper every day to either work on a way to stop the Devil or just spend time together. Their phone bill had increased because of all the calls Peter and Mike put in to Allison and Michelle, but they had gotten a fortunate deal the previous month where they played a show every weekend for a month which paid very handsomely. Now, however, work had dried up, as had their money. But with what Mike saw today's paper, it seemed their luck was about to turn around.

"Hey, guys!" Mike said as he read the paper. "Look at this! A sort of battle of the bands. A contest with $5,000 as prize money!"

"Whoa!" Micky said yanking the paper out of Mike's hand. "Let me see that!"

"5 thousand dollars?" Peter mused. "That's a lot of money."

"Sure is," Davy agreed. "Imagine what we could do with that."

"Sounds a little too good to be true," Micky cautioned. "Aha! Here's the catch. It's in Idaho."

"Idaho?" Davy and Peter echoed.

"Well, yeah, but keep reading, Mick!" Mike argued. "The auditions are in LA and the finalists get an all-expense paid trip to Idaho."

"Why Idaho of all places though?" Micky asked folding up the paper and handing it back to Mike.

"Who knows," Mike said. "But we should try out for that. If we win, we could get a lot of money."

"If we win," Micky said.

"What's the harm in auditioning?" Davy asked.

"I guess there really isn't any," Micky said. "Just seems a little weird and out of the way."

"Hey, while we're in LA, can we swing by and see Allison?" Peter asked.

"Of course we can," Mike said. "The audition is in two days. Let's get ready." Mike knew they'd be ready, of course, because they always practiced whenever they had spare time. They just loved their music so much and it was a relaxing way to forget about their problems. Mike had sung a few songs with just his guitar for Michelle, and he knew Micky and Peter had done the same for Piper and Allison, but none of the girls had seen them all perform as a group.

Once they had picked out and practiced the two songs they would do for their audition, Goin Down and Carlisle Wheeling to show their range of styles and sounds as well as their singing and writing abilities, they were ready to audition. Peter had called Allison and told her about their audition and arranged to have dinner with her that night with his friends. Micky was the only one who had yet to meet her since Davy had met her when he and Peter went to the library and Mike had gone on a few double dates with Michelle. Peter was so excited for Micky to meet Allison that he babbled the whole way to LA on the day of the audition.

When they pulled up to the theater, they all piled out of the car with their instruments in hand. Mike walked up to the door and read the instructions for the audition that were taped to it. Following what it said, he went around to the back of the theater with the others and entered that way. They waited back stage with a couple other bands, some of which they recognized. They waved to the Foreign Agents and the Jolly Green Giants, but there were two other bands they didn't recognize.

"Is this it?" Davy whispered to Mike. "Just 5 bands?"

"I'm sure there are more coming," Mike whispered back. Within the next several minutes, however, only the Four Martians and one other band the Monkees didn't know showed up, rounding out the number to seven. Mike did briefly wonder why only seven bands had showed up to an audition in LA of all places, but waved it off when a short nervous looking man walked into the back room to give them other instructions.

"Welcome, welcome," he squeaked. Behind him Micky whispered something about the man making Davy look tall to Peter and the two shared a quiet laugh. "I'd like to welcome you. You will each go and perform two songs and the judges will pick the top five winners. We will let you know by mail if you've won by the end of the week. I will call you when it is your turn. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Micky asked, "why are there only seven bands?"

"Not to worry, not to worry, dear boy," the little man squeaked. "We put different dates and times in the paper for each city so as not to overwhelm the judges with so many bands at once. You men are all from the Malibu area, but there are others performing later for the other parts of California."

"Oh," Micky said. "I guess that makes sense." But the hair on the back of Mike's neck started to stand up. Something seemed off here, but he couldn't figure out what. It could have been that the man kept staring at the Monkees with beady eyes, or it could have been something else entirely. Mike tried to push it from his mind, however. They really needed this money and that meant he needed to be at 100%. They were called 3rd and filed onto the stage with their instruments. The performance went extremely well, but something else now started to nag Mike; he couldn't see any judges. Part of him wanted to chalk it up to the bright light shining in his face, but another part of him that was still paranoid told him to take extreme caution.

"Did anyone else actually see who the judges were?" Micky asked echoing Mike's very thoughts when they left the stage.

"No," Peter said. "Usually we at least see something in the audience no matter how much light is shining on us."

"What do you think that means?" Davy asked.

"I don't know," Mike answered. "But I don't want to jump to conclusions. This is too much money to throw away because of paranoia."

"Or is it enough money to run head first into a trap?" Micky asked.

"I didn't say not to move cautiously, but if it isn't a trap and we are jumping to conclusions out of paranoia, we're throwing away a chance at 5 grand," Mike said. "But if you guys really don't want to see this through, I'll understand. We're a team and we do everything together." Mike held out his hand.

"I think we should be fine as long as we move cautiously," Peter said putting his hand on top of Mike's. "I'm in."

"I agree," Davy added putting his hand atop Peter's. "I'm in, too."

"Micky?" Mike asked at Micky's hesitation. He could tell he was having just as much apprehension as Mike was. "It's up to you."

"Alright," Micky finally said putting his hand on top of Davy's. "I need a new pair of boots anyway."

* * *

In the Underworld the devil waited for his minion to return from conducting the fake audition. He was sitting with Arcesso and refining some of the details of their plan. Arcesso had already sent someone to deliver the message to the demons needed for their plan with an offering of a human heart for their leader. He had gladly accepted the task offered him and was already making his way to Idaho. When the Devil's minion returned, he was sweating profusely out of nervousness and bowed so low to the floor again that his nose scraped the floor.

"How did it go?" the Devil asked. "Did the Monkees show?"

"Yes, sir, they performed wonderfully, sir," the minion answered.

"I don't care how well they did," the Devil snapped. "I just care that they showed. They're going to be the winners whether they did well or not."

"Although if they'd performed miserably and still won, they might have suspected something," Arcesso pointed out.

"Valid observation," the Devil said irritably. Was he starting to let his anger over look small details like that?

"I have a question for you," Arcesso said. "How are you going to ensure their girlfriends will go with them?"

"I can't ensure it 100%," the Devil answered. "I will offer each of them an extra ticket for the train and extra money to bring one friend or family member. Knowing them, they'll invite their girlfriends. If David brings one along, the more the merrier, if not, I'll still have the other three. And I'll be able to take care of that witch who helped stop me last time all in one blow."

"Again, what if they don't go with them?" Arcesso asked.

"Then I'll kidnap the girls," the Devil answered irritably. "Nothing will mess me up this time. There's no way they'll be able to fight off those demons. The girls will die and the boys will watch." The Devil now turned to his minion with a smile. "Get the invitations and money ready." The minion bowed again.

"Yes sir, right away, sir," he answered before leaving with a pop.

* * *

The Monkees pulled up to the restaurant Peter and Allison had agreed to meet at. It looked like a fairly nice place, but not too expensive. When they walked in, Peter spotted Allison immediately at a back table and led the way over to her. She stood up and they gave each other a hug as the boys approached. Micky noticed that there was already 5 glasses of water on the table for each of them as they sat down; Davy, Mike and Micky on one side of the booth and Peter and Allison on the other holding hands.

"Allison, this is Micky," Peter introduced. "You met Davy and of course already know Mike."

"Nice to finally meet you," Micky said extending his hand to shake it.

"Likewise," Allison answered. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad," Micky answered with a laugh.

"I don't think Peter even knows how to speak ill of someone," Allison said with another laugh. "But what I have heard has painted you in a very…interesting light."

"Interesting is definitely the nice way of putting it," Davy chuckled which caused Micky to elbow him a little.

"How long have you been waiting?" Mike asked indicating the water.

"Only about five minutes or so," Allison said. "I got off work a little early and tried to kill time. I thought about going to see your audition, but I didn't know where it was."

"Oh, that's ok," Peter said.

"I really would like to see one of your performances," Allison said. "I have some vacation time that I have to take and was thinking of going to see your next performance and staying in Malibu a few days."

"That would be nice," Peter said smiling.

"Well, we're hoping to get this gig," Micky said. "So it may not be for a while that we play in Malibu."

"Where is this gig again?" she asked.

"Idaho," Micky answered.

"Seems a strange place to have a music contest," she said. "Did they say why they chose Idaho?"

"No, we actually didn't even meet the judges," Davy said. "We didn't even _see_ the judges. Just the stage hand telling us when to perform and that they'd mail us an answer in a day or so."

"That's strange," she agreed.

"Yeah, but we really need the money," Mike said.

"I can understand that," Allison said. The waiter came over before anyone could say anything else, and honestly, Micky was glad for the change of subject. He really didn't want to think too much about all the possible ways this could be a trap for them. The boys had decided they had just enough money left over from the previous month to split a large plate of spaghetti, but Allison insisted they all order their own food on her.

"Really, Allison, its ok," Mike argued. "We split food all the time."

"But not this time," Allison said. "You guys are all so nice to me, and I want to buy you dinner. I insist. Five plates of spaghetti, please." She gathered up the menus and handed them to the waiter with a look that dared him to question her. He took them and scurried off before any of the Monkees could start protesting again. They ate their meal and talked about their music, literature, and various other things that interested each of them.

Micky decided he really liked Allison. She was very pretty and smart. She also seemed to really like Peter, and Peter was genuinely happy. He only stopped smiling long enough to eat. And in the end, that was all that mattered to Micky. If a girl made his friend happy, and she wasn't an evil demon, then Micky would like her. The same went for Mike. He had encouraged the relationship between Mike and Michelle from the beginning, and now the two seemed perfect for each other as well. Micky was very happy with Piper as well. Now all they needed to do was find someone for Davy. But he didn't want to push Davy into it. It said a lot to the others that it took so long just for Davy to get back out and date. They'd joked about how long his swearing off girls would last, but the fact that it had lasted as long as it did spoke volumes. Davy had been really hurt by Ariel and he needed time to get over that. It wasn't that he really cared about her that much because even he said he barely knew her; it was a trust thing. And that was one of the hardest things to learn to do again.


	17. The Invitation

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the kind reviews.

Chapter 17: The Invitation

Mike was sitting at the table at the end of the week reading the paper and looking for more auditions just in case they didn't land the one in Idaho. He still hadn't figured out what was so special about Idaho, but he figured there had to be a reason. Either that or Micky's suspicions were right and it was a trap. Micky had agreed to go along with them, but Mike could tell he was still very cautious. Not that Mike was really arguing with him. With the Devil still seeking his revenge, being cautious was a good idea. When someone knocked on the door, Peter walked to open it since he was closest having been sitting at the bottom of the stairway. Davy was sitting on the stairway too and Micky was sitting in a chair next to Piper. When Peter opened the door, they saw that the mailman was standing there with a package in his hand.

"Hey, Peter," the mailman said. "Got a package for you guys!"

"Thanks!" Peter said taking it and closing the door behind the mailman.

"Is that what I think it is?" Davy asked excitedly climbing down the stairs.

"It looks like it," Peter answered. "It says it's from the Idaho Mining Company."

"Idaho Mining Company?" Micky and Mike asked.

"Let me see that," Mike said as Peter started un-wrapping the package. Peter handed it over somewhat reluctantly.

"Well, they never actually said who was holding the auditions, did they?" Davy pointed out. Mike opened the package very carefully, not knowing exactly what was inside. He found a travel brochure, a confirmation of hotel accommodations, a bundle of train tickets, a check and a note. He pulled the note out first and read it aloud to the others.

"Congratulations, Monkees," he read. "You have been selected as one of the 5 finalists to perform at an official town reopening ceremony contest." Davy and Peter cheered, but Mike continued on. "You have been selected out of thousands of bands from across the country to compete for a $5,000 grand prize. Enclosed are a set of train tickets, hotel accommodations, and a check. The contest will be held during a festival that will last one week, so we encourage you to bring a family member or friend with each of you."

"What?" Micky asked.

"We have enclosed 8 train tickets and hotel accommodations for 8," Mike continued. "We look forward to seeing you very soon."

"So it's in Idaho because of a town reopening ceremony?" Davy asked.

"Are there really 8 tickets in there?" Micky asked snatching the bundle of tickets from Mike. He spread the tickets apart, and indeed there were 8.

"I can invite Allison to come see us!" Peter exclaimed. "She said she wanted to see us perform!"

"I don't know, Peter," Micky said cautiously. "Doesn't this strike any of you as odd?"

"What's odd about it?" Piper asked.

"Well, that they'd supply us with 8 tickets when they don't know if we're even going to bring someone else," Micky said.

"Well, there are instructions for how to return any unused tickets here," Mike said. "Also, it says here the check they gave us should cover food and other necessities for 8 and if we decide not to bring someone with, we can just keep the extra money."

"Since when have these contests ever allowed musicians to bring a plus 1?" Micky asked.

"Since when have we ever been a part of one of these contests?" Davy argued.

"Never," Peter answered.

"Exactly, so for all we know, this is completely normal," Davy continued. "We'll be gone a week, after all, so it would stand to reason we might want to bring someone with us."

"We went to New York alone," Micky pointed out.

"That's cause we didn't have significant others," Davy said.

"Plus we had to pay our own way there," Peter added.

"Mike, care to chime in here?" Micky asked. Mike knew that Micky knew that Mike was just as cautious as Micky was about the whole situation. Mike felt a little uneasy about this, too, but he kept looking at the phrase 'a $5,000 grand prize' and the thought of bringing Michelle with him to see him perform got him a little exited, too.

"I don't know," Mike said honestly. "It does seem strange, but Davy has a point, too. This could be normal for all we know. But I do also agree with Micky that it sounds strange."

"It's $5,000!" Davy exclaimed.

"I know," Mike said. "I think we should go, but definitely remain on guard. But again, we either all agree or don't go."

"Come on, Micky," Peter pled. "Mike's right. We can do this if we stay on guard."

"We'd be putting other people's lives on the line," Micky pointed out. Mike realized he'd had a point about that.

"Unless he wants us to think it's a trap and leave the girls behind," Davy said. "Then no one is here to protect them. That could be why it's so far away."

"I really think if he wanted to do something to our girlfriends, he wouldn't have to drag us all the way to Idaho to do it," Peter added. "Unless he needs us to be as far away from them like Davy said." Mike realized that Davy and Peter also had a point. He was very torn now.

"Micky, I think you should go," Piper said. "I think we should all go. If this isn't a trap, it could be a very good opportunity for you. And if it is, I will be right there with you to help with what I can and Mike and Peter can keep an eye on Michelle and Allison. We won't be going into it blind, exactly. We will all be very cautious like Mike said."

"Ok," Micky said after a minute of thinking it over. "But first sign of trouble and we run back home."

"Agreed," Davy and Peter said.

"I'm gonna go call Michelle," Mike said running to the phone with excitement. He grabbed the phone off the receiver and dialed her number as Peter ran over next to him.

"I'm calling Allison right after you," Peter said and sat down in a chair across from Mike.

"And I won't call anyone," Davy said a little dejectedly.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Mate," Micky said wrapping his arm around Davy's shoulder supportively. "Maybe we'll find you a girl in Idaho! There are tons of girls there that haven't met you yet!"

"Uh-huh," Davy said shaking Micky off. Mike stopped paying attention to his friends when Michelle answered the phone.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, Michelle, it's Mike," Mike said.

"I know who you are, silly," she laughed. "I recognize your voice by now."

"Oh, well I wanted to tell you something," he said excitedly. "Remember that audition we went to a few days ago?"

"The one for the gig in Idaho?" she asked.

"Yeah, well we got it!" Mike said. "We're going to Idaho and best of all they gave us extra money and 8 tickets!"

"8 tickets?" she asked.

"Yeah, they encouraged us to bring someone with us," Mike continued. "And I wanted to invite you. If you want to come, of course. And can take the time off."

"Of course I want to come, but isn't taking a trip together kind of a big step?" she asked.

"Well, it's not like we're going to be alone," Mike said. "It's going to be the four of us and Micky is taking Piper and Peter's going to ask Allison."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. "A group trip is a little different than a romantic excursion alone."

"Can you take the time off work, though?" Mike asked. "The train leaves on Monday and I know that's short notice."

"My parents kinda own the hotel, so I think I can swing it," she laughed. "How long is the trip?"

"A week," Mike answered.

"When does the train leave?" she asked.

"Uhh…" Mike said. He hadn't looked at the time or anything on the tickets. "Hey, Micky, what time does the train leave Monday?"

"7 am," Micky said. "We get to Portland Oregon for a layover and switch trains around 1 pm on Tuesday, then get to Spokane Washington at 9 pm."

"7 am," Mike relayed to Michelle.

"Wow, that's early," she said. "Maybe I should come to Malibu Sunday night and stay the night. You'll want to be at the train station at least half an hour before it leaves anyway."

"Good idea," Mike said. "You can stay here with us. We'll figure some sort of sleeping arrangements out later."

"Sure," Michelle said. "I have to go, but I'll see you Sunday night. Pick me up at the bus station at 7."

"Of course," Mike said with a smile.

"What do we do after we get to Washington?" Davy asked as Mike said his good-bye to Michelle and hung up.

"Oh, there's a note here…" Micky said quickly reading the note. "It says there will be a rental car waiting for us and we drive the rest of the way. There will be directions and a map in the car and it'll take an hour and a half to drive the rest of the way."

"Does it say the name of the town we're going to?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, it says it's called Hanson," Micky said.

"Ok, why don't we do some research on the town before we go," Mike suggested. "Try and ease our minds a bit." No matter how much research they did however, he really couldn't escape the feeling that they were running headfirst into a trap. The hair on the back of his neck stood up every time he thought about the trip.

* * *

Sunday night, Micky was sitting in the living room on the floor with Piper and Davy was sitting in a chair. There were five sets of bags packed by the door waiting for the morning. Mike was out at the bus stop with Peter to await the arrival of Michelle and Allison. Allison had agreed to come with them and had arranged with her boss to take the necessary days off. Piper had put her assistant manager in charge of her own shop for the week. They had decided to just have one giant slumber party in the living room that night and leave for the train station at 6 am the next morning. Micky had turned the TV to an old western movie after he and Davy had laid out 7 sets pillows and blankets.

The entire weekend, Micky's nerves had only intensified. He couldn't escape the feeling they were running headfirst into a trap, but Peter and Davy were extremely excited to participate in the contest and even have a vacation. Mike and Peter were excited to spend the whole week with their girlfriends and to perform in front of them. Mike didn't show excitement all that often, so Micky really didn't want to say anything and had agreed to go along with them because he didn't want to disappoint his friends. He just had to bank on the fact that they were all still currently on edge and would hopefully be able to see the trap before it was sprung or else be able to retain the composure needed to get out of it.

"Hey," Mike said as he walked in with Peter and the girls in tow. Mike and Peter were carrying the girl's bags and set them next to their own by the door.

"Hey, how was the bus ride?" Davy asked the girls.

"Fine, but long," Allison said.

"I sat next to a smelly guy the whole way here," Michelle said.

"Gross," Davy said with a laugh. Michelle took a shower and joined the others in the living room around the TV. They fell asleep watching the western movie. Piper had snuggled against Micky's chest and Michele and Allison had fallen asleep in Mike and Peter's arms, too. After a few hours, Micky woke up and heard a door close. He looked around and saw Piper had walked out onto their back porch. Wondering what was wrong, he got up and quietly followed her outside.

"Sorry, Micky," she said when he closed the door. "Did I wake you?"

"A little," Micky answered. "But that's ok. What are you doing out here?"

"I had a nightmare," she answered.

"I'm sorry," Micky said.

"I don't know if it means anything," she said. "I usually have premonitions while I'm awake, but this felt like one."

"What was it?" Micky asked.

"It was very strange," she answered. "There was this little girl reciting some sort of rhyme or poem and she was holding a box."

"What was the rhyme?"

"Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors. They need to take seven and they might take yours. Can't call to mom. Can't say a word.  
You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."

"Creepy."

"Yeah, and she was sort of singing it. I really hope it doesn't mean anything."

"Not with our luck. It's been a while since the Devil even made a move and he's a little overdue. But I think we shouldn't say anything to the others. They're so excited to go on this trip."

"You think that's a good idea? Shouldn't we tell them so they're on their guard?"

"Well, we don't even know what it means. You and I can sit and look through your books and see if there's even anything to this rhyme and if we find anything, then we'll say something. In the meantime, I don't want to dampen their spirits. They're too excited about this whole trip."

"Yeah, it just seems weird. 'They need to take seven.' There are seven of us going."

"Yeah," Micky sighed and sat down in one of the patio chairs. "We'll just have to keep our guard up and do as much research as we can. I mean the town is real; Peter said he found some information about it and has been doing all sorts of research about the town and Idaho in general. But that doesn't mean this whole thing isn't a ruse."

"True," Piper said sitting next to him. "I've never heard of The Gentlemen, but let's start looking for them. I packed a lot of books just in case." She had brought one of her bags out onto the patio and dug into one of them to pull out a book and hand one to Micky and took the other for herself. They spent an hour looking at the books before they fell asleep again.


	18. On Board

Author's Note: Thanks for all the kind reviews, once again! It's all you who keep me inspired to keep going. I wouldn't be writing any of this without you!

Chapter 18: On Board

Mike woke up as the alarm clock next to him went off at 5 am. He groaned and moved his hand to hit the snooze button on it to make it stop buzzing for at least 5 minutes, but he forgot he wasn't in his room and the alarm clock wasn't where it normally was. Because of this, his hand ended up knocking the alarm off the shelf and it fell on his face. He yelped in surprise and jerked up, holding his nose. The others were awake by now, too and he heard Davy let out a little snicker behind him. Peter just looked at him with a mixture of amusement and pity. Even Michelle and Allison were trying to hide their laughter.

"You ok, Mike?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Mike mumbled from behind his hand. "Where are Micky and Piper?" Mike asked realizing they were gone. The others started looking around, but Peter finally found them pointing to their patio.

"Out there," Peter said.

"What on earth are they doing out there?" Davy asked.

"Just what I was going to ask," Mike mumbled getting up and walking to the door. Micky had fallen asleep with a book on his lap and Piper had done the same resting her head against his shoulder. Mike smiled a little thinking the two of them looked perfect together. He almost didn't want to wake them up. Mike carefully took the book off Micky's chest and put his hand on Micky's shoulder. "Hey, Micky, wake up," Mike said softly trying not to jerk them awake. Micky groaned a little and tried to roll over, but almost fell out of the lounge chair he was in, but Mike caught him.

"What?" Piper asked groaning awake herself.

"It's time to get up," Mike said. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"Uh…" Micky said sitting up and running his hands through his curly hair.

"I couldn't sleep," Piper said. "And I woke Micky up and we must have fallen asleep out here reading."

"Find anything interesting?" Mike asked handing Micky back the book.

"No," Micky said. They spent the next hour getting ready, which was hard given they only had one bathroom and 3 girls, plus Davy who preened in front of the mirror probably more than any of the girls. The girls, Mike, Micky and Davy were finally ready at a couple minutes before six and Micky and Peter started loading the car with their suitcases and instruments, but Davy was still combing his hair.

"Davy, you're hair looks fine," Mike said with a slight air of annoyance. "Will you please get in the car?"

"Train doesn't leave for an hour," Davy argued. "I'll be right there; I just want to get this one little spot."

"What spot?" Mike asked looking. His hair looked just as neat and clean as it always did, but this was par for the course over the years, they'd just never had to contend with 3 girls in addition to Davy. Davy's preening was the reason Micky had stopped straightening his own hair, which took about an hour in and of itself. "Besides, I'd like to get settled on the train before it leaves. And we don't know what traffic is going to be like, so we need to get a move on."

"Alright, alright," Davy finally said putting the comb in his back pocket. When they got in the car, they all still felt really tired; it wasn't often that they had to wake up before the sun even came up.

"I hope we have comfy beds," Peter mused.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to take a nap as soon as the train leaves," Micky agreed.

"Something tells me we all will," Mike said. They pulled into the train station and unloaded their bags onto a trolley before walking to the platform they needed. Micky said he would talk to the attendant about returning the one unused ticket they had as Davy couldn't think of anyone to bring with him, despite suggestions from the others. Mike handed him Micky's ticket and the spare and the other 6 of them boarded the train looking for their cabins.

It didn't take them long to find them. There were four cabins set aside for them and Mike thought about how to divvy them up. Of course the simplest solution would be for the boys to bunk the same they did at home: Peter with Davy and Mike with Micky, but the girls were one short of making an even four, so one of them would get their own cabin. The girls decided to give it to Piper, since she had more luggage having brought a lot of books with her. Once the proper arrangements had been settled, the boys helped the girls loading their luggage in the proper stowaway compartments and settled into their cabins. The rooms weren't that big; they each contained two twin size beds a small dresser and a sink. Mike lay down in one of the beds and waited for Micky.

"Hey, got the ticket exchanged no problem," Micky said coming into the room with a yawn. "This isn't bad. A lot better than we usually get."

"Yeah, I think we got upgraded from steerage," Mike deadpanned.

"Well, if it is the Devil setting a trap for us, at least he had the decency to give us a comfortable way to travel," Micky laughed.

"Very funny, Micky," Mike said sardonically, although he did give a slight chuckle. He and Micky both fell asleep rather quickly and didn't even wake up when the train started moving. True to Mike's word, everyone slept for a few hours. Mike was the first one to wake up and made his way to the dining car for some coffee and a late breakfast. Davy and Peter arrived shortly after followed by the girls and Micky. Piper had brought another book with her and a small notebook and pencil. Once they'd all finished eating and telling small jokes, Mike noticed that Piper had been sketching a picture the whole time. He couldn't see it that well, as the paper was partially obscured by Micky's glass of orange juice, but he could see she was very focused on it.

"So, Peter, what did you find out about Hanson?" Davy asked.

"It was an old mining town established in 1888," Peter said. As he spoke, Mike saw Piper nudge Micky a little and show him the sketch she was doing. She whispered something to him and Micky shook his head. Piper went back to refining the sketch and Micky started flipping through the book she'd brought. Mike got the feeling they were hiding something from the rest of them. He wondered what the real reason was that Piper couldn't sleep the night before and had gone out onto the patio. He'd thought at the time it was a little weird, but didn't question it then. He decided he'd question Micky once they got back to the cabin. But for now, he wanted to hear about the town they were going to in order to get a sense of the place in case it was a trap.

"What did they mine there?" Michelle asked sitting next to Mike.

"Mostly silver and some lead at first, but then they found gold which is why the town boomed," Peter answered. "I guess Idaho is known for mining gold and silver. They don't mine as much gold as they used to; now it's mostly silver, but they are still the number one state for most amount of mineable gold."

"I thought California was a big gold state," Davy said.

"It is, but Idaho has more," Peter said. "They also have garnets, cobalt, lead, zinc, limestone, pumice, quartzite, and lots of other stuff. They are a huge mining state. The first gold was discovered in 1863 which brought a lot of people from all over the place looking to get rich, just like what happened in California. Hanson was established by a guy named Cole Hanson."

"So he named the town after himself," Mike laughed. "Humble fellow, wasn't he."

"Actually most of the towns out there are named for their founders," Peter said chuckling slightly. "There's this one next to Hanson named Kellogg. It's named for a guy named Noah Kellogg. He went to a man to ask him for help funding an expedition to find silver. The man agreed with the stipulation that half the proceeds of any find go to him. Well, when Kellogg found the silver mine, the man came to collect and Kellogg told him that he hadn't found the silver mine, his donkey had. He'd gotten lost and Kellogg found the donkey right on top of the silver mine."

"Seriously?" Davy laughed. "That's sounds ridiculous."

"Well, that's what the lender thought, so he took Kellogg to court," Peter laughed.

"And?" Michelle asked also laughing a little.

"Kellogg won," Peter answered

"You must be joking!" Davy exclaimed.

"Nope," Peter said smiling. "There are actually a lot of weird things about Idaho. Like the laws; there's one that says you can't fish on a camel's back. In Boise they refined it to a giraffe."

"Who fishes from a camel's back?" Davy asked holding his stomach from laughter.

"Who fishes from a giraffe's back?" Allison added.

"In Pocatello, a person cannot be seen in public without a smile on their face," Peter said laughing.

"Ok, Peter," Mike said smiling, but trying to get back on track. "That's all very interesting and funny, but what about the town of Hanson. What happened to it?"

"Oh, it was shut down after a mining accident in 1932," Peter said. "They were trying to blow out a new area with some dynamite and it blew up before they set the charge. Caused a massive cave in and most of the men died. Only two survived, but the town was so devastated from the loss, no one cared to put in the money or effort to re-open the mine."

"What about the men who died?" Piper asked. "Did they at least recover the bodies?"

"No," Peter said glumly. "It would have cost too much to recover them, so they just labeled the site as a mass grave."

"How many people died?" Micky asked finally looking up from the book.

"About 325," Peter said. "Which subsequently was only a little under half the population of the town at the time. So with half their townsfolk dead and pretty much only wives and children left, they packed up and moved on."

"That's so sad," Michelle said, all laughter gone from her voice.

"They just left 325 bodies buried in the mine?" Allison asked.

"I guess," Peter answered. "The book I read said it was too expensive to dig them out and excavate the mine."

"325 bodies…" Piper mumbled. "That's pretty significant." Mike was about to ask her why when she suddenly closed her notebook and turned to Micky. "I left something in my room. Micky, will you help me look for it?"

"Sure," Micky said closing the book he was flipping through. The two of them quickly left, and Mike decided to go after them. They were definitely hiding something. Mike excused himself from the table as Peter started going into more weird facts about the state of Idaho.

"Did you know that it's illegal for a snake to bite someone on a Sunday?" Peter asked. "Except when it's snowing."

"Well, doesn't it snow all the time?" Michelle laughed.

"I think the more important thing is who's going to stop the snake from biting someone?" Allison laughed. Mike shut the door behind him and followed Micky and Piper to her cabin. They closed the door, but Mike just reopened it and walked in.

"Ok, you two are hiding something," Mike said before either of them could say anything. "What's going on?" Micky looked as if he were debating something before he finally spoke.

"I didn't want to say anything because you were all so excited to go on this trip," Micky finally said.

"So?" Mike said. "If you know something, you need to tell us. Are we going headfirst into a trap?"

"We don't know yet," Micky said. "That's why I didn't say anything. We don't know enough."

"Ok, just start with what you do know," Mike said.

"Piper had a nightmare, that may or may not have been a premonition last night," Micky answered.

"May or may not?" Mike asked.

"I don't have premonitions while I sleep," Piper clarified. "But this felt like one anyway."

"Ok, what was it?" Mike asked.

"A little girl reciting a rhyme," Piper said. "Something about the Gentlemen are coming. They need to take seven of something, but I don't know what. And the last line was 'you're gonna die screaming, but you won't be heard.'"

"They need to take seven of something, and there are seven of us," Mike said. "And we're going to an old ghost town, so of course we won't be heard if we die screaming. Tell me again how you don't think any of that was relevant information to pass on?"

"Yeah, but the Devil doesn't want to kill us, remember?" Micky said.

"Unless we ticked him off last time enough to change his mind," Mike argued.

"But there are plenty of ghost towns in California," Micky retorted. "If he wanted to kill us in a ghost town, why drag us to Idaho? I mean, this isn't a cheap trip. Why spend this much money just to kill us?"

"So now you're saying it isn't a trap?" Mike said confused. "You're the one we had to convince to come in the first place."

"No, I still think it's a trap," Micky said, "but I also think there's more to it than just killing us."

"I think it has something to do with those 325 bodies in that mine," Piper said.

"Is it any worse than a normal graveyard?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Piper answered. "The energy gathered from a disaster like that is enormous. And to have that many bodies trapped in that reservoir of energy…that isn't good. That town is going to have a lot of problems."

"Or rather we are, because I get this feeling that the town isn't going to be reopened," Micky said.

"So do we go home now?" Mike asked. "Or keep going?"

"We can't go home," Micky said. "We still don't know for sure that Piper's dream wasn't just that. And we're on a moving train going upwards of 100 miles an hour."

"What were you drawing?" Mike asked. Piper flipped open the book to show him. It was a square box with strange, almost tribal markings on it. It had a series of interlocking triangles along the top and bottom border of the box with dots at the base of each triangle.

"The girl in my dream was holding it," Piper said.

"We've been looking in her books for any reference to the Gentlemen or that box, but we haven't found anything yet," Micky added.

"That's what you were doing on the patio last night?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, we fell asleep though," Micky said. "Didn't get to look for very long."

"Well, then why don't I help you look now," Mike offered.

"I warn you, some of the pictures are pretty gruesome," Piper said.

"I think I can handle it," Mike said. "I'm going to have to. Who knows what I might see in person if we don't figure this out first."


	19. Stampede

Author's Note: Yes, all the stories about Idaho are true, except for the town of Hanson. I made that up. But Kellogg is a real town where a real friend of mine lives and she told me the story of its founding and I laughed so hard I just had to put it in here. And I am from Arizona, so everything I said about Arizona a few chapters back about how hot it is and how boring all the houses are, is true, too…..

Chapter 19: Stampede

"Sir," said the Devil's minion as he entered the underground chamber. The Devil looked distastefully at him; the only reason he would be here is if he had bad news.

"You're supposed to be watching the boys," the Devil sneered.

"The witch that's with the Dolenz boy, sir," the minion squeaked out, "she had a premonition about the Gentlemen, sir."

"What!?" the Devil boomed so loudly the minion nearly fell off his feet.

"They don't know who they are yet, sir," the minion said even more squeakily than before. "They are trying to find out what the Gentlemen are, sir. They are looking through books to try and find them. And they are expecting a trap."

"Then distract them!" the Devil roared. "Do not allow them to discover anything! They must be kept in the dark for my plan to work! They cannot know anything! Do whatever you have to do to keep them from finding anything out! And don't let them sleep! If they are tired, they'll be less prone to wanting to drive home once they reach Hanson. And it'll be harder to stop the Gentlemen."

"Sir, of course, sir," the minion squeaked and bowed before disappearing with a pop. Rage boiled inside the Devil. If they figured out what he was up to, it gave them an advantage in thwarting him. He could not let that happen. He had to win this time. He was tired of the demons of the Underworld laughing at his failures at the hands of mere mortals.

* * *

Micky handed Mike one of the books Piper had brought with them somewhat reluctantly. He'd flipped through a lot of them over the past few months trying to gain as much knowledge as he could about demons and the Underworld, but the other's hadn't. It's not that they hadn't wanted to; it was that Micky didn't want them to. Once he saw the pictures in them, he decided to keep them away from his friends, not wanting to traumatize them further. But now he had to admit, they could benefit from an extra pair of eyes.

They had only spent about half an hour when they heard a loud scream emanate from the hallway. Mike and Micky immediately jumped up to see what was going on and ran from Piper's cabin. They would have been trampled had the two not immediately flattened themselves against the walls as a stampede of people ran toward the dining car. Micky fell to the ground however, as the last woman with a very large purse smacked into him.

"What in the heck?" Mike asked as he extended a hand to help Micky up.

"Beats me," Micky answered brushing dirt off his shirt.

"You ok?" Mike asked turning to look at him.

"Yeah, just wondering what that woman carries in her purse," Micky laughed. Piper poked her head out having stayed in the cabin during the stampede. Micky and Mike cautiously made their way down the hallway in the direction the stampede had come from with Piper close behind them. They reached a door at the end of the hallway that was now hanging off its hinges. Micky peered in and saw another set of cabins, but nothing else at first. As soon as he saw what had made the stampede of people run, he shrieked and jumped back right into Mike.

"What!?" Mike asked.

"Rat!" Micky exclaimed pointing at a rat on the floor in the middle of the hallway.

"Really?" Mike said pushing past him and walking towards the rat. "You're afraid of a little rat? After everything we've been through?"

"They're gross and carry lots of diseases!" Micky argued. "Why are you going near it!?" Behind him, he heard Piper trying to stifle a laugh.

"What's going on?" Davy said as he and Peter ran down the hallway with Michelle and Allison in tow.

"Micky's afraid of a teeny tiny rat," Mike laughed.

"No I'm not!" Micky said now trying to sound macho in front of the girls.

"Is that why you screamed like a little girl?" Mike laughed he bent down to pick the rat up, but then froze, his eyes trained on the cabin the rat had come from. He yelled in fright and ran back to where the others were standing in the doorway.

"Now who's scared of a little rat?" Micky asked.

"Not little," Mike breathed, his hand hovering over his heart. Something really had scared him. Micky moved to go look, but Mike held him back. "You don't want to do that."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Lots of rats," Mike said. "Lots and lots of rats. Coming out of the floorboards and walls."

"Gross!" Allison squealed.

"Where did they come from?" Michelle asked.

"Why don't you two go back to the dining car," Davy suggested.

"What are you going to do?" Michelle asked.

"Find the conductor and tell him," Peter answered.

"Wait for us in the dining car, ok?" Davy said. "We'll be there in a minute."

"Ok," Michelle said with one last disgusted look toward the empty hallway save for the one rat still sitting there.

"Ok, seriously, where did they come from?" Davy asked when the girls had left.

"One way to find out," Piper said pushing past the others.

"Really?" Micky said a little higher pitched than he'd intended. "You're going to go in there?"

"It's the only way to find out where they came from," Piper answered.

"Davy, you and Peter go look for the conductor or security or something to clean this up," Mike said.

"Right," Davy and Peter said. They gladly ran off towards the dining car to do just that while Mike and Micky reluctantly followed Piper. She walked in the room and Micky let out a whimper. There were indeed lots and lots of rats and they did appear to be coming out of every crevice in the room. The walls were broken and splintered from where they'd escaped behind it and a few floorboards had even been torn up. They were climbing all over everything: the beds, the dresser, the sink, even each other. Micky had to hold back the feeling of wanting to be sick at the sight of it.

"Will you relax, Micky?" she laughed. "I've been covered in demon guts before; I think I can handle a few rats."

"Demon guts?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Piper answered. "Andras was a clean demon. Sometimes they explode in a mess of guts and you need to buy a new outfit."

"Gross," Micky and Mike said. Piper laughed and used her power to scoot a few rats out of the way gingerly from where they seemed to be gathered the most: an old trunk. She opened it without touching it and as soon as she did, an overpowering odor filled the room and wafted to the hallway.

"Oh, what _is_ that!?" Mike exclaimed as he and Micky quickly covered their noses with their shirts.

"That is the smell of decay," she said. "This trunk is full of rotting food."

"That explains why they are in this room, but not how they got on the train in the first place," Mike said.

"And why they destroyed the floors and walls to get out," Micky added.

"Do rats even do that?" Mike asked. "Is that normal for them to just burst from walls like that?"

"No, they usually find a hole or chew through it," Piper answered exiting the room. "But my guess is that there's nothing normal about how they got there."

"You think they have something to do with the Gentlemen?" Mike asked. Before she could answer, a loud shouting emanated from down the hallway. They three turned to see a rather short yet portly woman leading an employee down the hallway with Davy and Peter in tow.

"I paid good money for that car and this is what I get!?" the woman bellowed. "Rats everywhere! They were climbing all over me!"

"Please relax, Miss," the employee said clearly annoyed at the woman. "I really don't know how rats got on this train."

"You think I'm lying!" she exclaimed as they reached the room. "Just look for yourself!" She stopped and looked at the three standing in the hallway for a moment before shouting at them. "Move away from my room!"

"I don't really think you'll be wanting to call it your room anymore," Micky laughed. He got hit from behind by Mike as a way of telling him to be quiet.

"What are you doing here?" the employee asked them.

"We came to see what all the fuss was about," Piper answered.

"Well, I'm sure there's nothing to…AHH!" the employee froze and screamed mid-sentence as he turned to see the rats covering the room.

"There!" the woman exclaimed. "You see! I wasn't lying!"

"I…I…how…what…" the employee started babbling.

"I demand another room!" the woman shrieked.

"I…I'm sorry miss, there is no other room," the employee said. "We're booked solid."

"Well you can't expect me to stay in there now!" the woman shrieked. "I _demand_ you move me to another room!"

"I…uh…I…how did this happen?" the employee stammered deciding it was easier to deal with the rats than the woman.

"There's a trunk with rotten food in it," Piper answered.

"You rummaged through my things!?" the woman screamed.

"Well, if you're claiming the trunk is yours, how did rotten food get into it?" Piper snapped back.

"I…what trunk?" the woman said. "I didn't bring a trunk with me!"

"Of course you didn't," Piper smiled. "Sir, she can take my room. I will stay in another room with my friends."

"That's very kind of you, Miss," the employee said. "Please, everyone go to the dining car. I'm going to talk to my boss and get this all taken care of."

"Of course," Piper said. Micky and the others scurried off back towards the dining car, trying to put distance between themselves and the woman who was still screaming about the indecency of it all.

"She's the one who brought rotten fruit on board," Mike grumbled at her yelling.

"I don't think she did," Piper said as they entered the dining car that was now full of people. "Why would someone do that?"

"So we're back to this being _his_ work?" Micky asked not wanting to say the name in earshot of others.

"He's must be trying to distract us," Piper said. "Keep us from figuring out what his ultimate plan is."

"Wait, when did he decide _he_ was messing with us on this trip?" Peter asked.

"We haven't yet," Micky answered honestly. He still didn't want to spoil Peter and Davy's fun if they were wrong, but it looked more and more like they weren't wrong.

"What happened?" Michelle asked when they'd reached the table she and Allison were sitting at.

"Somehow a trunk full of rotten food made it onto the train in that woman's cabin," Piper explained pointing to the woman who had now entered the fruit car. She was silent for the time being, but looked furious. "So I said she could take my room, and I'll just bunk with you. I hope that's ok."

"Yeah, that's fine," Michelle answered. "She looks pissed."

"She is," Micky snorted.

"Yeah, well, she's coming over here," Mike said. Micky looked and saw she was storming over to them. Micky actually felt the floor shake beneath him with every step she took.

"You there," the woman barked at Piper. "Get your things packed up! I want to lie down in my new bed!"

"Hey now!" Micky said jumping up to square off with the woman. "Piper is doing you a favor, the least you can do is talk to her with some respect!"

"Humph!" the woman snorted in Micky's face; he had to close his eyes and tilt his head back to avoid her putrid breath. "Respect! The little harlot accused me of causing all this!"

"Harlot?!" Micky snapped, now visibly angry.

"Hey, Mick, calm down," Mike said pulling on his shirt trying to get him to sit back down.

"Take that back, you old windbag!" Micky yelled. He didn't care what Mike said; he wasn't about to let anyone talk to his girlfriend like that.

"How dare you!" the woman roared.

"Micky, it's ok," Piper said standing up to stand next to him. "It doesn't bother me."

"Yeah, let's just go get her things moved into our room," Michelle said. "It's really not a big deal."

"You should listen to these tarts," the woman scoffed. "Clear my room!"

"Hey, you need to cool it!" Mike said now getting angry that she had turned her spite on Michelle. "We didn't do anything to you, and for your information, no one accused you of anything. The only thing Piper did was point out the obvious!"

"Mike, she's not worth it," Michelle said.

"I believe you owe these ladies an apology," Mike said.

"More like she owes me one!" the woman shouted.

"We don't owe you a thing, you pompous old toad!" Micky yelled. The woman's nostrils flared and she looked like she was about to rear back and hit Micky in the face, but not for Peter who had jumped up and forcibly inserted himself in between the woman and Micky.

"Ok, everyone just needs to calm down and breathe," Peter said. "If you could kindly give us a few minutes, we would be more than happy to clear out that room for you. Mike, Micky, can you two come help me?" Peter pulled on Micky's sleeve and Micky finally relented. Mike followed suit, leaving the girls and Davy behind. The woman stalked off to the other end of the car and Micky realized just how quiet the car had really become as everyone had stopped talking to each other to gawk at the argument.

"The nerve of that woman!" Mike seethed when they got to Piper's cabin.

"I was about two seconds away from punching that woman in the face!" Micky agreed.

"Are we absolutely sure that woman isn't a demon?" Mike asked jokingly grabbing a few of Piper's books they'd unpacked and placing them back into a suitcase.

"She sure as heck smelled like one," Micky said. "Either of you get a whiff of her breath? Smelled like the rotten food in her room!"

"Guys, just calm down," Peter said. "We don't know who she is or what her motive is for insulting us, so the best idea here is to stay calm. Getting angry and punching her may well have been her intention. So since she is going to be staying in this cabin for the rest of the trip right across from us, we need to remember that. We have no idea who or what she is. I know you guys were joking, but she may very well be a demon for all we know. I never got the pleasure of meeting him, but you guys said Andras looked perfectly normal; like any other human. We need to stay on our guard."

"You're right, Pete," Mike said with a smile. "Thanks, buddy. And even if she isn't a demon, and she's just your normal every day troll of a human, it's still best to remain as calm as possible."


	20. Distractions

Author's Note:

Chapter 20:

Once they had gotten all of Piper's stuff moved into Allison and Michelle's room, Mike, Micky and Peter walked back out to the dining car. Mike breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the woman who'd yelled at them wasn't in the dining car anymore. The three sat down at the table that Davy and the girls were sitting at.

"Where'd the troll go?" Micky asked.

"The manager took her to another car," Davy answered. "He's going to come back and talk to us in a bit."

"About what?" Mike asked. "We didn't do anything."

"No idea, he just told us to stay put for a few minutes," Davy said shrugging his shoulders. They didn't have to wait long to find out. Within a minute a very flustered looking man entered the room following the woman Mike had deemed the troll. She took one look over at them and opened her mouth to say something, but the manager ushered her along to her new room.

"Thank you for your understanding, Miss Bridgeum," the manager said. She snorted a response and tramped off toward the rooms. Mike felt every step she took. The manager sighed and shook his head quickly before walking over to Mike and the others. Mike stood up as he walked over, immediately taking responsibility for the group if they had done something wrong. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I am Mr. Larson. I manage the train on this run and I would like to sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced today."

"Well, it's not like the things that lady said to us was your fault," Mike said relieved they weren't in trouble.

"Be that as it may, I am very sorry," he said. "I would like to thank you very kindly for volunteering to give up your room, Miss."

"It's really no big deal," Piper answered.

"Nonetheless, give this to the station manager when we disembark," he said handing a note to Mike. "The manager will give you a full refund on your room as soon as we reach Portland."

"Refund?" Mike asked a little shocked.

"Yes, as you paid for 4 rooms and you aren't using one anymore, you are entitled to a refund," he answered.

"Well, we didn't really-" Mike started to explain that they'd won the tickets, but Micky suddenly clamped his hand over Mike's mouth.

"We appreciate the refund," Micky said. "Thank you very much."

"Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything else," Mr. Larson said with a smile before leaving.

"Micky, we really shouldn't take that money," Mike said.

"Why not?" Micky asked. "We won the tickets and the letter we got said we could refund any unused ones and keep the money, right? We did that with Davy's spare ticket, why not mine?"

"Cause it's not the same," Mike said.

"Sure it is," Micky argued. "We have to put up with that woman the whole rest of the trip, Mike. She's in the room right across from you and I and right next to the girls. We deserve to get something for that." Mike thought about arguing more, but decided Micky had a point. And he was still a little tired, so he just shrugged his shoulders and let the matter drop.

"What were you guys doing before the rat thing, anyway?" Peter asked.

"Uh, just reading," Mike said. He had reluctantly agreed with Micky not to tell Peter or Davy about the Gentlemen or anything else because he had a point about not knowing for sure if this trip really was a trap or not. But now with all these new problems unfolding, he was starting to become more and more certain they were headed into a trap going over 100 miles an hour.

They had tried over the rest of the day to get some more reading in, but several other distractions popped up along the way. A waiter crashed into another man and spilled his entire tray of drinks on the Monkees, which caused them all to take turns in a shower to get rid of the sticky soda. Not long after that, a fire broke out in the kitchen, pouring smoke into the dining car which caused the group to move back to their rooms for the time being. Once everything was cleaned up, a fight broke out in the hallway between other patrons which several employees tried to break up. Then a little kid turned up missing and everyone was ordered to congregate in the dining car until the boy was found a few hours later hiding in a lavatory.

"This is getting ridiculous," Mike whispered as he and Micky tried to go back to their room where they'd stored Piper's books to look at them.

"Seeing a pattern, too?" Micky grumbled. "I'm thinking Piper was right about the distraction thing. Apparently we're on to something and he doesn't want us to find out."

"Well, it's late," Mike said. "Hopefully we can get in a few more hours of searching before we go to sleep."

"I doubt it, but let's try," Micky said as they closed themselves off in their room after having said goodnight to the others. Piper joined them several minutes later reporting that the conductor had fallen asleep at the wheel which almost caused the train to go off its tracks. No sooner had the three of them sat down in their beds (with Piper sitting on Micky's) and opened a book did they hear a shriek from the hallway.

"What now!?" Mike exclaimed.

"No, you know what?" Micky said staying on his bed as Mike jumped off his own. "I'm not moving. I don't care what's going on out there. It's almost 10 o'clock and I'm tired. I'm staying here and reading as much of this book as I can before I crash."

"Good idea," Mike said sitting back down. Mike managed to flip through half of his book before he couldn't read any of the words anymore. He looked at Micky to tell him he was turning in for the night, but Micky and Piper were both already out. Piper was lying across Mickys chest with a book hanging loosely from her fingers and Micky had fallen asleep with the book on his face. Mike crossed over and took the books from them to set them gently on the nightstand separating the beds and putting a blanket over them before crawling under the sheets of his own bed. He wasn't sure how long he was asleep before he was awoken by a loud thumping noise.

"Micky?" Mike asked rolling over, but Micky was still asleep. Mike soon realized the thumping was coming from the hallway and climbed out of bed to see what it was. He opened the door and jumped when he came face to face with Peter.

"Mike!" Peter exclaimed clearly just as startled as Mike was.

"Don't do that," Mike said holding his chest at a foolish attempt to try and slow his heart.

"Whasgoinon?" Micky slurred as he stirred awake.

"I heard a noise, go back to sleep, Mick," Mike answered. But that wasn't about to happen.

"You!" the woman who'd accosted them earlier roared as she threw open her cabin door. She yelled so loudly that Micky jumped and fell right out of bed. "What on earth are you doing out here!? I'm trying to get my beauty sleep!"

"Gonna need a whole heck of a lot of that," Micky mumbled quietly behind him as he tried to extricate himself from the blanket now tangled around him.

"We aren't doing anything, Ma'am," Peter tried to explain.

"You hush up!" she roared. "I don't need to listen to a stupid hippie-freak!"

"Hey!" Mike yelled. Peter looked stung by the woman's harsh words. "That is uncalled for, lady!"

"What's uncalled for is the ruckus you all are making!" she boomed.

"We weren't doing anything!" Mike argued. "We heard the noise same as you and came out here to see what it was!"

"A likely story," she sneered.

"It's true," Peter tried. "I was sleeping when I woke up and heard a thumping."

"Right," she sneered again. "You young kids are nothing but trouble!"

"That's not fair!" Davy said coming from his and Peter's cabin.

"I was young once!" she exclaimed. "I know what it's like to be on a trip and wanting to part all night with a bunch of harlots!"

"Hey!" Micky exclaimed. "What is your problem, you old troll!?"

"Micky, hush," Mike whispered. "That's not helping."

"Troll?!" the woman roared. "How dare you!? I'm going to get the manager and see what he has to say about all this!"

"You go right ahead and do that," Mike sneered. Not that it mattered because she'd already stormed off.

"What the blazes was that?" Allison said standing in the doorway to their own cabin. Indeed all the doors in the hallway were open trying to get an idea of what had just happened.

"That woman is quite possibly the worst person I've ever met," Michelle said. "And I work in the hospitality business, so that's really saying something."

"I want to find out what that thumping noise was before she gets back," Mike mumbled.

"Why so she can't blame us?" Micky said.

"No, so we can find out what keeps messing with us," Mike answered without thinking. "Messing with our trying to read up on him is one thing, but now he's messing with my sleep, and that is not going to stand."

"What are you talking about?" Michelle asked.

"Does all this have anything to do with the Devil?" Allison asked.

"What?" Michelle asked a little shocked.

"You told Allison?" Mike asked turning to Peter.

"Sort of," Peter said blushing a little. "She's the one who helped us find information at the library."

"What is going on, Michael?" Michelle asked. Mike sighed and turned back to Michelle; he hadn't wanted to say anything to her in case she thought he was crazy and left him, but he didn't have much of a choice now.

"Mike, you talk to Michelle," Micky said, "Piper and I will look for what that sound was." Mike took a deep breath and pulled Michelle into his and Micky's cabin. Peter, Davy and Allison stayed standing in the doorway while Micky and Piper started looking around the hallway to see what could have made the thumping noise. Mike told Michelle everything; that Peter had inadvertently sold his soul to the Devil, that they had made him angry by winning Peter's soul back, and all the things the Devil had done to them so far, including the part that this trip may have been a trap. Michelle looked at Mike in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked.

"I wish I were," Mike answered.

"I didn't believe it at first either," Allison said. "But you have to admit, a lot of really weird things are happening on this trip."

"So you brought us on a trip that you think might kill us!?" Michelle exclaimed.

"No!" Mike defended. "We would never do that. See, he doesn't want to kill us. He wants us to suffer first. So we thought that if it were a trap, it would have been to take us away from you so he could get to you while we weren't around to keep you safe."

"Even though we live an hour away from each other and see each other about once a week?" Michelle pointed out.

"Well, Idaho is a lot farther away," Peter defended. "And if this isn't a trap, we get to spend time with you and get a chance at a great opportunity."

"And because you're so close, if it is a trap, we can keep you protected," Mike added. "I promise, when we first agreed to do this, we weren't sure at all if this was a trap or not. But now with everything happening the way it has…"

"But you've already beat him 3 times?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah," Mike answered.

"Well, then I guess the closer we are to you, the safer," Michelle answered.

"Plus we have a secret weapon!" Peter added.

"A secret weapon?" Piper asked as she and Micky came back.

"Yeah, you!" Peter laughed.

"I wouldn't call me a secret weapon," Piper laughed. "Certainly not a secret. He knows about me, remember?"

"Yeah, but I still think he's underestimating you," Micky added.

"What are you guys talking about?" Allison asked.

"She's a witch," Davy said. "And she is really strong and can kick some serious butt. If it weren't for her, the Devil would have won last time."

"Really?" Michelle asked. "I thought witches were evil."

"That's just a stereotype," Piper answered. "All being a witch means is that we have powers and the ability to tap into the magic that surrounds everything in the world. What you choose to do with that is up to the individual. Magic is neither good nor evil. It's what the person does with it."

"So you have powers?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, most witches only have one, some don't have any, but I have two," Piper answered. "I can see things in visions and move things with my mind."

"Really?" Michelle asked sounding skeptical. Piper just smiled and moved a book that was lying on the bed into her hand. Michelle and Allison watched it float across the cabin in awe.

"Cool!" Allison said.

"Why do you have two?" Michelle asked.

"I don't really know," Piper said. "Most of my family has the power of premonition, so that was passed down, but one day when I tried to save someone from a demon, I made the demon fly just by waving at him. I was told I was given the other power as a gift because of all the good I'd already done."

"Did you guys find out what that noise was?" Mike asked relieved that Michelle seemed to be ok with all this.

"No, we didn't find anything," Micky answered. Mike was about to say something when Mr. Larson came over to their cabin with Miss Bridgeum. She looked as though she would explode at any second. She shot the boys a dirty look before entering her cabin while slamming the door.

"I'm very sorry, folks, but it would appear that some of the rats from earlier escaped and are crawling around inside the walls," Mr. Larson said. "That's what the thumping is. We are doing everything we can to take care of the problem. Please be patient with us."

"We are being patient with you," Micky said. "That crazy lady is another story all together."

"Yes, I am very sorry for her accusations against you," he said.

"Don't apologize for something out of your control," Mike said.

"We are trying to find another cabin for her to stay in, but so far have come up short," Mr. Larson said. "It seems no one else is willing to stay near her."

"Don't worry about that," Piper said. "We understand that. We will do our best to ignore her."

"Yes, in the meantime, we may have to do some work around here to get the rats out of the walls," Mr. Larson said. "I apologize in advance for the noise we may have to make, but we will try to be as quiet as possible."

"We understand," Mike said.

"Again, if there is anything I can do for you, please, just let me know," Mr. Larson said.

"How about a muzzle for crazy lady?" Micky mumbled.

"Micky!" Mike admonished, but the manager just laughed.

"I hope you folks enjoy the rest of your night," he said with a chuckle and left. They had tried to go back to sleep later that night, but had no real luck. Every time one of them had successfully fallen asleep, they would be awoken half an hour to an hour later by some sort of noise. Mike had finally decided to give up trying by around 8 am the next morning when he left the cabin to find a very strong cup of coffee and deciding he would try sleeping later on during the day.


	21. Train Heist

Author's Note: If anyone can help me with something, that would be great. I'm trying to buy Monkees CD's, but there's so many different versions, that I don't know what to buy to get the complete collection of songs. I know I have to buy the 3 missing links, but also not sure if I should buy the physical CD cause I like having the inserts when they have cool pics and/or song info or just buy the digital version of the CD on itunes. None of the stores around me has any CD's in stock…..

Chapter 21: Train Heist

Micky walked into the dining car with a yawn that nearly dislocated his jaw. He had gotten maybe a total of 4 hours of sleep during the night with everything happening, and now had finally given up on trying as everyone else was bustling about in the hallway making even more noise. When he reached the dining car, he saw Mike was already there with a very large cup of coffee and looking just as tired as Micky felt. When he saw Micky approach, he graciously poured Micky a cup as well and slid it across the table to where Micky sat.

"Ok, so his master plan to torture us is to deprive us of sleep," Micky said taking a big sip of the coffee and ignoring how hot it was.

"Careful, Mick," Mike said with a slight chuckle. "Don't burn your throat."

"I'll be fine," Micky answered. "I need caffeine. How long have you been sitting here?"

"Not long," Mike answered. "Only a few minutes. Did you see Davy and Peter yet?"

"No," Micky answered. "I think they're still sleeping."

"I think we should tell them, Micky," Mike said after taking a deep breath. "None of this is normal. Rats, fights, missing children…"

"Obnoxious old trolls," Micky threw in.

"Exactly," Mike said. "We need to talk to them and decide if we turn back when we get to Portland in a few hours, or continue on."

"What about the girls?" Micky asked.

"We talk to them, too," Mike answered. "Lay all our cards on the table and make a decision as a group from there." It took about an hour for the others to join them and they all ordered breakfast. Mike lowered his voice so they wouldn't be overheard once the waiter left to get their food. "We need to talk to you guys."

"Is this about last night?" Peter asked. "No way all that was normal."

"Exactly," Micky said. "Look, we didn't tell you this before because we weren't sure about it and we didn't want you guys to get upset because you were so excited for this trip, but…"

"It's a trap?" Davy finished.

"Probably," Mike said. Mike told them about Piper's dreams and everything they had done to try and find information about the Gentlemen, which is what lead to all the distractions. Then Mike posed the question to all of them: keep going, or turn back.

"I say we keep going and kick his sorry butt," Davy said. "Fight off whatever tries to throw at us, just to show him we can keep kicking his butt."

"I'm not sure that's the wisest way to look at things," Mike said. "We could go home and prove we can beat him even easier."

"True, but won't it be even more humiliating for us to kick his butt?" Davy asked.

"Not sure humiliating the Devil is the best idea," Michelle said.

"We've already done it several times," Micky said.

"Don't forget, there's still a chance that this whole town re-opening contest is real," Piper pointed out. "This could be a really good opportunity for you. For all we know, the Devil could just be using a normal contest as an opportunity to attack."

"Good point," Allison said.

"We could get 5 grand here," Davy said. "Just think about what we could do with that kind of money!"

"We've made it this far," Peter said sounding a little worried, but still pushing to keep going. "Why not see this the rest of the way through. We don't know what we'd be giving up if we went home and we have strength in numbers. Plus Piper."

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am throwing my girlfriend directly into the line of fire," Micky said.

"I didn't say that," Peter defended.

"It's ok, Micky," Piper said. "I volunteered for this. It's what I do, remember?"

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Micky answered.

"Ok, any more thoughts before we vote?" Mike asked.

"I saw we keep going," Davy said. "See this through. Kick his butt; teach him a lesson."

"I agree with Davy," Peter said. "We could go home and he'll just try something else at home. Why not just enjoy the scenery in Idaho while we can."

"Peter has a point," Michelle agreed. "If he really wants to hurt you, he's going to do it whether you're at home or in Idaho. I'm for heading forward."

"Me too," Allison said.

"K, so that's four to keep going," Mike said. "And since there are only 3 of us left, we're already outnumbered."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with them, too, Mike," Micky said. "We could get an opportunity to stop him once and for all. We could get an opportunity to win 5 grand. We don't know unless we see it through, and we have the advantage of expecting an attack."

"I agree," Mike said. "So unless Piper has any objections, it's unanimous."

"I'll do whatever you guys want to do," she answered. "But I think Peter, Davy and Michelle all have good points."

"So it's unanimous," Mike said raising his hand to bang a gavel before realizing he didn't have one. "We keep going and kick some butt; show the Devil who's boss, so to speak. Maybe make him angry enough to give up this time."

"We need to spend the rest of the time figuring out who or what the Gentlemen are," Micky agreed. "Fight every distraction that comes our way."

"Ok, so how about Michelle, Allison and I work to keep all distractions from bothering you and you guys focus on research?" Davy suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Mike said.

"We should also try and get some more sleep," Micky said with a yawn for emphasis. "I have a feeling that he wants us to be tired when we face whatever it is we face to make it harder to win."

"Right," Peter said with a yawn of his own. "So we take turns taking naps and reading."

"Deal," Mike answered as the rest of them yawned. "It's almost 10 now, so we have about 3 hours before we get to Portland and switch trains. Then we have another 8 hours before we get to Spokane and drive the rest of the way to Hanson. So let's get to it." They all nodded their agreement and set to their tasks. The hallway had quieted down now, so Micky was the first to take a nap while Peter, Mike and Piper started flipping through books again. He hadn't even been asleep for half an hour when he was jerked awake with such a loud popping noise that he fell out of bed again.

"What in the world was that?" Micky asked rubbing his backside that was now sore after having fallen to the ground on it twice now.

"No idea," Mike said as another set of loud popping noises emanated from the hallway. They tried to ignore it, true to their word that they would ignore any further attempt at distractions, but they all jumped out the door when they heard screaming following a new set of popping noises. When they opened the door, they realized the hallway was filled with smoke. Covering their mouths so they didn't breath in any of the smoke, they ventured into the hallway. When they peered toward the end of the hallway, they realized that someone had set off a bunch of firecrackers. Through the smoke, they could barely make out that Davy was sitting on the ground holding his leg.

"Davy!" Mike, Peter and Micky shouted in unison as they saw this and ran down the hallway. Firecrackers were whizzing by his head, and they reached him just as one came within inches of his head. Micky and Mike grabbed Davy and carried him out of the hallway into the closest cabin which happened to be girls cabin while Peter slammed the door closed behind them to block out further firecrackers from coming in. Allison and Michelle immediately started pushing clothes up against the door to block out the smoke threatening to creep in under it.

"What the heck happened!?" Mike exclaimed as they set Davy down on the bed.

"Someone set off firecrackers," Davy said hoarsely.

"Or something," Micky pointed out.

"Yeah," Davy agreed as Peter grabbed some water from the sink and handed it to Davy while Micky looked at the spot on Davy's leg he'd been clutching so desperately. He forced Davy's hand out of the way and realized Davy had been hit by one of them; a rather nasty looking burn was spread across his leg. "I told the girls to hide in here while I tried to stop them, but one hit me."

"That looks pretty bad," Micky said. The room was really crowded making it hard to move, but he knew they had to clean Davy's wound before it became infected.

"Here," Piper said digging through her bag and pulling out a washcloth before Micky could even ask.

"Get that wet with warm water, Peter," Micky said as Peter took the washcloth from Piper. "Not cold water. Cold water will only shock it and make it worse."

"I think I also packed some first aid stuff in here, but they're also bound to have some on board," Piper added as Peter nodded and did as instructed.

"Then we should save what you have in case we need it later," Mike said. "As much as I want to help Davy, I'd rather wait a few minutes until we can get the stuff from the train instead of depleting our supply. Sorry, Davy."

"Don't be," Davy answered as Peter handed Micky the wet washcloth. "I was just about to say the same thing."

"Ok, Davy, this is gonna hurt," Micky said as he pressed the cloth against Davy's leg. Davy bit his lip to keep from crying out and Micky's stomach did a few flips as he heard the sharp intake of breath Davy couldn't avoid. About a minute later, they heard the popping finally die down and a bustle of people outside. Mike opened the door carefully and saw that a bunch of employees, including the manager, were now outside in the hallway cleaning up the mess.

"Is anyone hurt?" Mr. Larson asked.

"Davy got hit," Mike said. Mr. Larson peered in the room and saw Micky holding the cloth against Davy's leg.

"We have a first aid kit," Mr. Larson said. "I'm terribly sorry about this. While I get the first aid kit, you should go to the dining car. It's not conducive for you all to be breathing this smoke in." Mike and Micky helped carry Davy out to the dining car, as it hurt to put any pressure on his leg. When they got to the dining car, they saw a couple more injured people, but most only had minor burns or scrapes; Davy was hurt the worst.

"Just so you know, Mike," Davy said trying to look defiant through the pain as Micky put the washcloth back on his leg. "This doesn't change my mind. If anything it makes me more determined to kick his butt."

"You got it, Tiny," Mike said with a laugh. Within a few minutes, an employee had come over to the group with a first aid kid and applied burn cream and a bandage to Davy's leg. They couldn't do anything else until they reached Portland. When they got there, they quickly boarded the new train, Micky helping Davy along while Mike went to the station manager to get a refund for the room they gave up. They found their rooms on the new train, and Mike and Davy lay down to try and get some rest. Micky, Peter and Piper continued trying to look through books in another cabin, but weren't able to do much for very long. An hour after the train had started, they heard a commotion outside. They tried to ignore it, but when a man ripped open the door and pointed a gun in their faces, they jumped up.

"Everyone out," the man barked. Micky, Peter and Piper ran out of the room and followed another man to the dining car on this train. Seconds later, Mike and Michelle walked in carrying Davy between them and Allison behind them with a third armed man.

"What do you guys want?" Micky asked as Mike and the others sat with them.

"Shut up," one of the men barked.

"We got no issues shooting any of you who make a move or try and play hero," another one said.

"Listen up, ladies and gentlemen," said a new man entering the dining car in a pin stripe suit and fedora. "You are all now our hostages. No one moves, or my friends here will not hesitate to shoot you. You hear me? You even so much as flinch, and they'll kill you."

"Hostages?" Mike asked.

"Yes, now shut up," the man said. "If everyone does what we tell them to, no one gets hurt and you all get to get off this train safe and sound in Spokane. It's that simple."

"More distractions?" Micky whispered.

"Undoubtedly," Mike answered.

"What do we do?" Peter asked.

"There's not really anything we can do," Mike answered. "Unless you think you can do something, Piper?"

"I don't think we should try," she answered. "There are too many people here who could get caught in a cross-fire. The Devil doesn't want to kill you, so this should just be a distraction. We do what they tell us, and we'll be fine."

"Yeah, but we won't get any research done," Davy argued.

"I think we need to be more concerned about all the innocent bystanders in here," Mike answered. "We still have the car ride to Hanson. I know it'll be uncomfortable and everything, but it's all we got. We let him win this battle, but that doesn't mean he'll win the war."

"Well said, Mike," Peter said with a smile.

"Hush up over there!" one of the gunmen barked. The next 7 hours were fairly uneventful; gunmen just sat in each corner of the dining car standing guard. Nobody moved for fear of getting shot at. They did allow people to play card games or checkers to pass the time, but that was about it. They allowed food to be delivered around 6 pm so people could get some dinner. All in all, up until they were about an hour outside of Spokane, nothing happened. But when the man who appeared to be the leader of the operation came back into the dining car, he ordered Micky to stand up and follow him.

"You there, fuzzy hair, come with me," he barked.

"What?" Micky asked. "Why me? Where?"

"Because I said so," he sneered. "We'll be rolling in the train station soon, and I need a shield."

"You can't do that!" Peter argued.

"Shut up, blondie," the man yelled. "Unless you want a bullet in your brain."

"It's ok, Pete," Micky said getting up and walking over to the leader. "I'll be ok."

"Just shut up and walk, fuzzy," the leader sneered. Micky followed one gunman up to the front of the train while the leader walked behind him. When they got to the front of the train, one of the gunmen pushed him into a chair and tied him to it.

"I thought you said I was going to be a shield?" Micky asked. "It's gonna be kinda hard to use me as a shield when I'm tied to a chair."

"Shut up," the leader barked. He snapped his fingers a few times and was handed a phone receiver by the man who'd tied Micky to the chair. "Alright, I've got one of the hostages, just so you know I ain't foolin' around. We arrive at the station in one hour and I want the money in a suitcase ready when we arrive. We'll send out the hostage to pick it up and once I'm satisfied the money's all there, we'll let the hostages go." He hung up rather quickly and looked rather pleased with himself.

"So you're gonna have me go get you the money and bring it back?" Micky asked.

"You're a clever one, aren't you?" one of the goons laughed. It reminded Micky somewhat of the idiotic laugh most goons they dealt with had.

"Well, what then?" Micky asked.

"If I get all my money, you all get to go free," the leader answered as if the question had been a stupid one.

"No, what I meant is, what happens after that?" Micky said. "You can't just walk outta the train station once you let us all go."

"I don't plan to," the leader sneered. "I'm gonna take this train and head for Canada."

"Oh, ok then," Micky said. "That's a good idea. If you can handle the cold and open wilderness up there. I'm sure they'll never catch you, cause if they did, they'd just send you right back down here."

"Shut up," the leader barked. "You kids are all annoying. And you don't know a damn thing." For the next hour, Micky stayed fairly quiet. He got bored and started humming, but stopped as soon as the leader shot him a scathing look. They finally pulled into the train station and the men untied Micky.

"Ok, so I just go get the briefcase now?" Micky asked.

"Yes, and I'll have my gun trained on your head, so you make one false move and I kill you," the leader said with a sick smile.

"Got it," Micky said. "I'll just…I'll just be right back then." Micky walked out onto the train platform that had been cleared of people except for federal agents and police officers. They all immediately trained guns on him and Micky threw up his hands to tell them he was unarmed.

"Are you one of the hostages?" a man holding a suitcase asked.

"Yeah, and I'm betting you're the man who's gonna give me the money to give those crooks," Micky answered.

"It's all there," the man said putting the suitcase on the ground and sliding it to Micky, obviously not wanting to get close in case Micky wasn't a hostage.

"Thanks buddy," Micky said. He knew where the gang was headed and figured he should probably tell the cops and agents so they could get a head start and cut the crooks off, but he wasn't sure if the gang could hear what he was saying, so he decided to speak in code. "Say, Canada's a nice place to visit. It's not too far from here, is it?" For good measure, he winked at the agent who'd slid him the briefcase.

"No, it isn't'," The man replied. Micky breathed a small sigh of relief thinking the message had indeed been passed on and turned with the suitcase to go back to the train where the gang was waiting for him. He handed the suitcase to the leader, who promptly threw it open to start counting money.

"Ok, so we can go now, right?" Micky asked.

"You talk too much," the leader said. Micky felt something solid make contact with his head and he passed out on the floor in a crumpled heap.


	22. A Little Town Called Hanson

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I got stuck a little on this and a lot on my other story and there were a lot of chapters posted to the other fics I follow too (Crystal Rose, MonkeeMidgie, Plush Chrome and AL McFarlane all posted in a matter of a few days! AH! Curses! And darn Plushie posted 3 chapters in a few days! Must read!) Still haven't read them all, but I plan to soon!

Chapter 22: A Little Town Called Hanson

Mike waited anxiously for the thugs to bring Micky back. He really wished he could have done something to stop them from taking Micky in the first place, but knew if he'd tried anything, the thugs would have fired their guns and could have severely injured or killed anyone in the room. Mike's anxiety level rose when he felt the train pull to a stop in the station. The thugs in each corner of the room stood up and waited to see if anyone would move. The men who'd taken Micky away came into the room after several long, agonizing minutes and the leader had a smile plastered on his face.

"You're all free to go," he said. "Your luggage has already been packed and is awaiting you on the platform."

"Where's Micky?" Mike asked as everyone else in the car got up and made their way to the doors.

"He's waiting for you on the platform," the man said with a smile, but there was something about him that made Mike not trust him. Peter helped Davy limp off the train with Mike and the girls close behind. When they got onto the platform, they didn't see Micky anywhere. Mike frantically looked around, but couldn't find him.

"Mike, where's Micky?" Peter asked with worry lining his voice.

"I don't know, Peter," Mike answered. Mike's heart started racing when the train started getting ready to pull away. Finally, he saw the crowd part a little and saw a limp body lying next to the train. He recognized the mass of curly hair immediately and took off toward Micky, Piper and Michelle right behind him. Peter and Allison helped carry Davy over to where Micky lay on the ground. Micky's legs were still somewhat inside the train, leading to a fear that when the train did pull away, it would drag Micky along with it and kill him. He reached Micky just as the train started to pull away and had fall to his knees and yank his friend away from the tracks before checking to see what was wrong with him. As he tried looking for a gunshot wound or something that would tell Mike why Micky was unconscious, several cops now came over to them telling the crowd to part so they could reach Micky.

"What happened?" one of them asked as they reached Micky.

"We don't know," Mike answered. "They took him and said they were going to use him as a shield. Next thing we know, they're telling us to leave and Micky's like this."

"The boy was sent out to retrieve the money and send it back," the officer said. "Told us the thieves were headed to Canada then went back on the train."

"They must have done something to him," Mike said.

"What happened?" Micky mumbled coming to.

"Micky!" Mike exclaimed. "You're ok!"

"Sorta," Micky answered. "My head hurts."

"You did a very good, brave thing, young man," the officer told Micky. "We'll have a medic look him over to make sure he's alright."

"I'm fine," Micky answered trying to sit up but clutching his head. "I think they hit me over the head with something. I'll just have a headache for a while."

"Don't be stupid, Micky," Piper said. "Let them take a look at you." Over the next couple hours, the group told their account of what had happened on the train and Micky had been looked over by the medics on scene. They told him he had a mild concussion and just to take it easy for a while. They also gave Davy a supply of bandages and antibiotics for the road when he refused to get medical treatment for his burn. He was still insisting they push forward and get to Hanson as soon as they could. Mike was starting to have second thoughts about the whole thing, but the others seemed determined, even Micky, to get a chance to fight the Devil again. They were going with the theory that if they kept overcoming him, he'd eventually give up. When they finally were able to go by the authorities, Mike found the rental car that had been set aside for them and had retrieved the keys from the train station manager.

"So we're sure about this?" Mike asked as he started the rental car they were now all packed rather tightly into.

"Positive," Davy said firmly with his leg propped up on Peter's lap.

"We have to prove to him we can beat him," Peter added. "So he'll leave us alone."

"If we're all sure, let's go," Mike answered pulling the car onto the main highway out of town. He'd insisted at least that someone other than Micky give the directions seeing as how he wasn't that great at it to begin with, and now he had a concussion. An hour and a half later, Michelle announced they were about to drive through the town of Kellogg that Peter had told them about.

"What's funny?" Mike asked when he heard Micky laughing a little.

"Kellogg," he said. "Like the cereal. K-E-double L-O-double good!" Micky sang the jingle to the cereal ad.

"Kellogg's best for you!" Peter finished with Micky in unison.

"Ok, that concussion has spread to Peter now," Davy laughed.

"What?" Peter asked. "Why can't we have a little fun? This trip has been nothing but problems. I say if we find an opportunity to laugh, we should take it."

"Thank you, Peter," Micky said. "I'm not crazy. Just bored and a little stir crazy."

"That's still crazy," Mike offered with a smile.

"Doesn't mean that _I'm _crazy though," Micky laughed.

"If we weren't all so tired, I'd suggest we go look for that donkey statue," Peter said.

"What donkey statue?" Mike asked.

"Oh, the town erected a statue in honor of the donkey that found the silver mine that lead to the town's founding," Peter said with a laugh. "The locals apparently like to say they were founded by an….well, I'm not gonna say it, but you know what I mean. And they're proud of it."

"Yeah, I think we're gonna have to pass on that statue, buddy," Mike said with a laugh. Mike was at least happy that Peter was really enjoying sharing random bits of information.

"Well, Kellogg is a pretty small town," Michelle said. "We should be in Hanson in about 15 minutes."

"Good, cause it's already after 11 and we're already well past check-in time for any hotel," Mike said.

"The letter we got said the hotel would be waiting for us," Micky answered.

"Not the point," Mike said. "The point is I got about a combined total of 4 hours of sleep and I'm tired."

"That's a valid point," Davy said with a yawn of his own.

"You guys find anything in those books?" Mike asked them; they'd all been flipping through books looking for any mention of the Gentlemen.

"Not yet," Peter answered. The others shook their heads in agreement.

"I'm starting to wonder if that dream was just a dream," Piper said.

"I don't think so," Micky said. "I mean, everything else on this trip has gone insane."

"But honestly, when does insane stuff not happen to us?" Peter offered.

"When we're safe and sound at home in our beds," Mike answered knowing full well they were magnets for weird.

"No, even then weird stuff happens to us," Micky countered. "Mad scientist comes into our house and tries to summon the dead; Peter gets hypnotized by the TV; I get kidnapped by the Chinese mob."

"Thank you, Micky," Mike said flatly.

"You're welcome," Micky answered with a chuckle. Fifteen minutes later, they had pulled into the town of Hanson. The only way you could tell, however, was the old, rickety, dilapidated sign that read "Welcome to Hanson". Or at least Mike thought that's what it said; the lettering was worn and faded. The buildings all looked old and run down; several had fallen in upon themselves.

"This doesn't look good," Davy said.

"This does not strike me as a town ready to be re-opened any time soon," Micky added.

"What now?" Peter asked. Mike was about to suggest that they turn around and go home when there was a loud popping sound and the car spun out of control. Mike was able to keep the car in enough control that it crashed into a building without hurting anyone. They all stumbled out a little shaken, but unharmed. Mostly. Davy's leg had bumped into Peter's stomach and he was now taking sharp breaths of pain as they carried him out of the car. Micky looked a little dizzy, but pulled himself back together within a few moments. Once he was assured everyone was ok, he assessed the damage on the car.

"Tire's blown," Mike said. "And I can't even get to the spare in the trunk now." The trunk had been pinned closed by the building that had fallen on top of it. "Maybe in the morning we can start moving the bricks off the trunk, but I don't even know that this thing will run anymore even with a new tire."

"What do we do till then?" Peter asked. "There's nobody here."

"Well, we'll have to stay the night," Mike answered. "Which I think is what _he_ wants, so we all need to stay together. No one leaves the group from here on out."

"Right," Micky, Peter and Davy said in unison.

"Do you guys always do that?" Michelle asked with a laugh.

"Do what?" Peter asked confused.

"Talk in unison," she answered.

"Sometimes," Micky answered with a sly smile. "Comes with years of practice."

"Practice?" Allison laughed. "You practice speaking in unison?"

"No," Micky answered with a laugh. "We practice being kidnapped, held hostage, and altogether threatened."

"You guys are really something else," Michelle laughed.

"Come on," Mike said smiling. "Let's find a shelter before we're eaten by wolves."

"Why you gotta joke about something like that?" Micky asked as he, Mike and Peter pulled whatever bags they could of the wrecked car and Michelle helped Davy walk.

"Who's joking?" Mike answered and as if on cue they heard a howling off in the distance.

"It looks like that building is pretty sturdy," Piper said pointing at a tall looking building made of brick and stone. Most of the windows were intact and it did appear to be less worn than the others around them, though it was hard to tell in the dark. When they heard a group of howling, all seven of them decided that it would do and ran as fast as they could toward the building. The girls had even lifted Davy off the ground so they could move a little faster, something Mike was sure Davy would normally protest at, but the fear of being eaten by wild animals kept his mouth shut.

Once they were inside, Micky was the first to find any source of light for them: an old oil lamp. He withdrew a book of matches from his pocket and lit the lamp to illuminate the way for them. Mike shook his head, slightly grateful at the weird things Micky kept in his pockets that always seemed to come in handy. Piper closed and locked the door behind them and Peter and Mike moved to try and secure the rest of the building. Micky looked around for weapons while Allison and Michelle set Davy down on a beat up old couch in the middle of the room. The building itself appeared to be an old hotel with pictures of what the town looked like in its prime. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere giving the place a very eerie feeling. So when Mike and Peter bumped into each other after securing some windows, they both gasped in fright and jumped.

"Don't do that," Mike said.

"I didn't do anything," Peter answered.

"Maybe we should find some blankets or something so we can sleep," Allison said.

"There should be a linen closet around here," Michelle said looking in various places. She finally opened a door and found a room with dozens of sheets and blankets.

"Way to go, Michelle," Allison said. They set about making beds for each of them with Davy taking the couch. This he did protest at, but Mike and the others insisted he take the couch because he needed his leg to heal. Micky had managed to find a few fire pokers, but not much else as a way of defending themselves but suggested there might be some stuff in the kitchen. Mike decided to break his rule of not splitting up just long enough for him and Micky to investigate the kitchen. Sure enough, they found plenty of knives and even some old food they could make come morning. Once everyone was within arm's reach of a weapon of some sort, they all felt it safe to go to sleep.

* * *

The Devil smiled. His plan was working. There had been a few problems, but he was able to overcome them. His minion had successfully distracted the Monkees from finding information on the Gentlemen by using that already angry and boisterous woman to his advantage and had even summoned a gang of thieves when the boys fought every other minor distraction. He had to give his minion credit for thinking large and quickly under pressure. He'd been worried when Davy and Micky had been hurt, fearing they would seek medical attention and turn back, but they were adamant about defeating him.

"They are a rather cocky bunch, aren't they," Arcesso said hovering next to him.

"Indeed," the Devil said. "And it will be their undoing."

"Although, perhaps they have reason to be confident," Arcesso continued. "They have stopped you 3 times already."

"They won't stop me again," the Devil said. "Do you feel the energy here? So much power. They will fail. They can stick together all they want. They can do whatever they please, but they will not win against the Gentlemen. They will suffer the loss of those they love, and it will be their own faults. They will live with that knowledge and beg me for death."

"Perhaps," Arcesso said.

"Do you know something I don't?" the Devil snapped angrily.

"Not at all," Arcesso answered. "I'm just reminding you that it would not be wise to underestimate these boys again. There is a lot of power here for us, but that also means there is a lot of power here for the witch. She can tap into it just as easily as we can and use it against us."

"Then she shall die first," the Devil answered.

"And what of the other victims needed to appease the Gentlemen?" Arcesso said. "They need to kill seven people before they leave town and there are seven people here. What's to stop them from killing all of them?"

"The bandits from the train," the Devil answered. "I captured four of them and they are waiting in another building to die. They will be the other 4 sacrifices needed."

"I see," Arcesso said. "We should leave. We don't want to be here when the Gentlemen arrive. We are not immune from their magic."

"Agreed," the Devil said just before both disappeared, the Devil with a flash of smoke and Arcesso just seemed to fade into the darkness around him.


	23. Silenced

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Not been sleeping very well because I've been having some health issues. Hope you like it.

Chapter 23: Silenced

Everyone slept until very late the next day, having had so little sleep the day before. When Micky finally woke up first, he checked his wrist before remembering he didn't wear a watch. He rolled over and grabbed Mike's arm and checked his watch. Micky's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he realized it was nearly 3 in the afternoon already. Mike hadn't woken up but Micky now tried to wake them all up so they could get out of the town and get the car fixed. He pulled a little on Mike's arm and opened his mouth to tell everyone else to wake up, but nothing happened. No sound came from him. Fear gripped him as he was reminded of when he'd been cursed by the monkey paw and rendered mute.

Mike turned over and looked at him with a confused expression. Micky tried to tell him he couldn't talk, but nothing was coming out. He desperately tried to say the word "crayon" since for some reason that was the only word he'd been able to say when he'd been cursed before, but he couldn't even say that this time. Mike opened his mouth and moved his lips, but he couldn't speak either. Micky was able to read his lips well enough to see that he was asking Micky what was wrong, but as soon as Mike realized he couldn't talk either, he bolted upright and frantically started moving his mouth trying to talk, but like Micky, no sound came out.

Micky and Mike each then turned to the others and started waking them up. No one else could speak either, and everyone looked terrified as they tried to speak to no avail. Piper immediately grabbed her books and started looking through them. Micky moved to start looking through books with her and Mike started digging behind the hotel counter. Micky had no idea what he was looking for until he found a notebook and pen. He started writing something down on the paper and then snapped his fingers to get everyone's attention. They looked up and he turned the paper around so everyone could read what he'd written.

_Stay calm. We'll figure this out. Peter and Micky, help me with the car. The rest of you look for a way to reverse this._

Micky nodded and stood with Peter to follow Mike outside. They spent half an hour working on the car when Allison ran out with a paper in her hand. They stopped working long enough to read what she'd written down.

_I made food. Come eat. We all need as much strength as we can. Piper found a few spells and she's going to try them._

Mike looked like he wanted to argue, but Micky and Peter agreed with Allison so before he could try, they grabbed him by the sleeves and pulled him into the hotel lobby. Inside Allison had made a few cans of beans that Mike and Micky had found in the kitchen the night before. She'd also found some old rice that was apparently still good and some cups that were filled with water. Micky looked at her quizzically wondering where she got the water from. She mouthed the word "well" and Micky realized she must have found a well somewhere. Piper was sitting in the corner with a candle and a few books around her. She had a plate of food next to her, but it looked untouched. Davy and Michelle had already started eating. Micky grabbed a plate that Allison handed him and walked over to Piper. He sat down next to her and tried to hand her the plate of food she had next to her to entice her to eat. She seemed too concerned on the spell she was trying to return their voices to them, so Micky put his hand on her shoulder when the spell failed to try and comfort her. The look on her face was one of defeat. He could tell she was very upset and tried to ignore him to start another one. Micky took the book from her and gave her a look that told her that everything was going to be ok. She finally gave in and started eating along with everyone else.

The food didn't taste that great, but they ate it anyway. They knew that this was probably the only thing they'd get to eat all day, so they tried to make sure they filled themselves up so they could have energy later. When they were done, Davy took the pad of paper from Allison and started writing on it. Piper went back to trying another spell and Peter and Mike prepared themselves to return to trying to fix the car. When Davy finished writing he showed what he'd written for everyone to see.

_Anyone have any ideas on what's going on? Why haven't the Gentlemen attacked yet?_

Davy had a point. None of them had any idea why they couldn't speak, but Micky thought it had something to do with the rhyme Piper had heard in her dream. "Can't say a word." None of them could say a word. "You're gonna die screaming, but you won't be heard." If the Gentlemen were going to kill them, why hadn't they attacked yet? Looking around the room, Micky could tell everyone else was thinking the same thing. And he could tell that no one else had any more answers than Micky did. Mike sighed and shook his head. Peter looked worried and crestfallen, as did Allison and Michelle. The only thing they could do was try and get out of there as quickly as they could.

Mike, Peter and Micky returned to trying to dig the car out from under the building. They were finally able to get all the bricks and debris off the car about 2 hours later. Once they'd gotten the ability to get the spare tire out of the trunk, they set about changing the tire on it before trying to see if the car would even turn on. Mike groaned silently when the car tried turning over, but wouldn't. He tried again, but to no avail. Micky made a motion for Mike to stop trying and moved to try and look under the hood. There was a lot of damage under there and they didn't have any supplies or tools to even attempt to fix any of it. Micky dropped the hood again and shot Mike a helpless look. Mike groaned silently again and pressed his head into the steering wheel in frustration.

Knowing it was getting late and it would be dark in very soon, Micky, Mike, and Peter walked back to the hotel to rejoin the others and think of another way out. When they walked in, Davy and the girls looked at them hopefully. Mike shook his head and all of them looked crestfallen. Davy grabbed the paper again and scribbled furiously upon it. Piper went back to trying spells to get them to speak again. By now, her candle was almost completely depleted. When he finished writing on the paper, Davy showed it for everyone to read.

_Why don't we just walk to Kellogg? It's not far and we could get help from someone there._

Mike shook his head and pointed at Davy's leg and mouthed the words "Not on your leg". A thought hit Micky and he moved around like he was on a cane suggesting that they could find something for Davy to walk on. Again Mike shook his head and mouthed "too far, too slow, dark soon". Micky gave up and then Peter motioned with his hands furiously, but no one could figure out what he was trying to say. Finally he gave up and Davy handed him the paper and pen where he wrote down what he was thinking.

_Some of us could go and come back with help. _

Mike shook his head a third time, as did Micky. Mike motioned to have Peter hand him the paper and scribbled his response down this time.

_We are not splitting up. It's too dangerous. We still have no idea what we're up against here. We don't know who the Gentlemen are or how many of them there are. If we split up, we're lowering our numbers. We'll go with Micky's idea and find a crutch or something for Davy to walk on and leave in the morning._

Micky started looking around for something that Davy could use as a crutch but stopped when he heard a clapping noise. He looked around and saw Allison trying to get their attention; she looked excited about something. She took the paper from Mike and scribbled something furiously on it before showing it to them.

_I just remembered something. I think there was something about monsters called the Gentlemen in a fairy tale I read a long time ago. There should be a bookstore or library here. Maybe we can find the book that had the fairy tale in it._

Micky suddenly felt a small spark of hope. He saw the same spark of hope cross Peter and Davy's faces. Mike seemed to be mulling something over. Then he mouthed "ok, we all go look". Peter moved to help Davy walk and Piper packed up her books in her bag. After making sure everyone had a weapon to defend themselves just in case, they walked outside without an idea of where to start looking, so they just walked down the dirt road. Micky and Mike took opposite sides of the street looking into the windows and old buildings as most of them weren't clearly labeled as to what they were. It was a small town, so it didn't take very long to find an old bookstore that luckily enough for them had only partially fallen apart. They made their way inside and quickly found a few fairy tale books. Peter helped Davy sit in a chair while Allison started flipping through the books quickly.

Curiosity overwhelmed him and Micky started to look around. He considered it a stroke of luck when he found a cane behind what used to be the sales counter. He grabbed it and brought it to Davy; it was the perfect size for him. Micky opened his mouth to make a joke about how people really must have been shorter a century ago, but realized he couldn't talk. Davy must have known what he was about to say though, because Davy shot him a scathing look. Micky laughed a little and continued about his searching. It was only a few minutes later that Mike motioned for them to look out the window; the sun was going down. Luckily, however, Allison found what she was looking for. She brought the book over to a table so everyone could read the story.

It wasn't a long story, but it wasn't your children's bedtime fairy tale. It told about a town who was struck silent and then in the night, creepy creatures called the Gentlemen cut out the hearts of seven people. They went to the neighboring town to do the same thing, but the princess came back to the town and screamed when she saw the death and destruction. When she screamed, the Gentlemen all died; apparently they died only by the sound of a human voice which is why they stole everyone's voices when they came to a town. Mike grabbed a paper and scribbled hastily on it.

_So how do we get our voices back?_

Again, no one had an answer. Piper had tried every spell she could find, but none of them worked. Then she remembered the box she'd drawn. She took the drawing out of her back pocket and held it up against one of the pictures in the fairy tale. The box matched what the Gentlemen were holding. Micky stared at the faces in the drawing in the book. They looked really creepy and they definitely didn't look human. One was holding the box open and white puffs of smoke were surrounding the box. That must be how they stole voices. Micky had an idea; if the box stole their voices, then they could release the voices by breaking the box. He slammed his hand on the drawing Piper did of the box to try and let them know that they should try breaking it. They all seemed to understand, but after a second, Peter looked at Micky and mouthed "how do we find it".

Mike pointed at the picture of the Gentlemen in the book and mouthed the words "we find them". Everyone looked terrified at the prospect, but knew they had to do it. Micky looked at Davy warily. He could barely walk right now; how was he supposed to help them fight their way through the Gentlemen and through the box? Even with the added benefit of using the newly found cane, Davy was still very slow and he would very easily get hurt again. Mike seemed to agree with Micky and sat down at the table and started writing on the paper.

_We need a plan before we do anything. We will have to split up. Some of us will go look for them. Some will stay with Davy._

Davy looked upset and mouthed several words of protest including "it's because I'm short, isn't it" to which Mike shook his head and pointed at Davy's leg. Davy tried to argue again that he was fine and his leg wasn't really that bad, but Micky merely tapped the bandage and Davy silently cried out in pain. Micky shot him a look that said "See? Told you!" He felt bad for hurting Davy, but he knew he had to make a point or Davy would just argue more which they didn't have time for. Mike shot Micky an admonishing look, but turned back to the paper they were using as their means of communication.

_Piper, Micky, and I should go look for them. Peter, Allison and Michelle should stay with Davy. Barricade yourselves in here. _

They all nodded, except for Davy who was still upset about not being able to help, but wasn't arguing anymore. Piper dug something out of her bag and handed it to Peter. It looked like a candle, but instead of being mad of strictly wax, it looked like it was made of wax, stone, and twigs. She wrote a note on the piece of paper and showed it to Peter.

_This is a flare candle, so to speak. If you run into problems and need help, light it and it will send a flare above you and we can see it and come help you. _

Peter nodded and took the candle. Mike put his hand on Peter's shoulder as a way of telling him to be careful. Peter nodded again and Mike, Micky and Piper made their way out onto the street again. Micky had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he saw the sun setting behind the crumpled dilapidated buildings. He felt relief as he heard Peter and the girls start to push bookshelves and other pieces of furniture to barricade themselves in the bookstore. They paused for just a second to gather their strength and courage. Micky tightened his grip around the weapon he was carrying: a long fire poker. Mike had a golf club they'd found in the lobby of the hotel and Piper had a large butcher knife. With a deep breath, they pushed forward, not knowing where to look for the Gentlemen, but determined to at least find the box so they could destroy it.


	24. Meet the Gentlemen

Author's Note: Ok, so the pain I was feeling earlier this week is gone, but now I either have allergies or am sick…..so, sorry if this sounds like a sick person wrote it. I was lying in bed with my brain swimming and nothing else to do but write and play games (hooray for ps3) since I couldn't concentrate on schoolwork and get ahead like I wanted to, so I hope it's still good despite the lovely cold medication I'm taking! Don't flame me if it's terrible. Lol.

Chapter 24: Meet the Gentlemen

Mike walked with Micky and Piper through the ghost town looking in various buildings for any sign of the Gentlemen. So far they had been walking around several hours and had come up short. They had almost searched the entire town by now and it was incredibly dark again. There weren't many other places to look, except the mines, and Mike really didn't want to go down there with it being this dark. That would just be stupid and suicidal. They made their way to an old saloon that was crumbling with years of dust and neglect. Mike turned to Micky and Piper and mouthed the words "last place, then we go back". Both nodded their agreement and walked in.

The room had a few tables still standing and chairs. There were even still bottles of alcohol behind the counter. Mike was astonished at how quickly the people who lived here must have left. There were a lot of things still lying around that normally one would take when they moved. He stopped when he thought he heard movement from behind the bar. Mike and Piper stopped dead in their tracks, too. They stared for a moment behind the counter and were relieved when a small rabbit ran out from behind the counter and through a hole in the wall. Micky went to one side and opened a door that led to a stairwell. He motioned that he and Piper were going to check out the upstairs and that Mike should check the backroom. Mike nodded and went toward the back room carefully.

The back room was small so it didn't take Mike long to conclude there was nothing here. He started walking over to the door Micky had gone in and met him at the bottom of the stairwell. He looked pale white and like he was going to throw up. Mike looked at him quizzically and almost started up the stairs to see for himself, but Micky and Piper both stopped him. Micky mouthed the words "train robbers, four of them, dead, no hearts." Mike stopped trying to go up there; that was something he really didn't want to see. But the thought of Davy injured alone with Peter, Michelle and Allison worried him even more now. Four men had already died at the hands of the Gentlemen, which left three more hearts they needed. With that math, Mike suddenly realized what the plan was. No sooner had he figured this out, than he heard an explosion of some sort. All three ran outside and saw a shower of sparks above the bookstore. Piper took off running before Mike and Micky even realized that the sparks were from her flare candle. Which meant Peter and the others were in trouble.

The three of them raced over to the bookstore but skidded to a stop right before it. The sight they saw was terrifying. Mike had expected creepy looking creatures from what he'd seen in the fairy tale story book, but not like this. Two human shaped creatures were hovering a few inches off the ground. Their skin was a grotesque shade of gray and pulled taut over their bones as if there was nothing between their skin and their bones. They smiled; creepy, gross, huge smiles that looked truly sadistic and evil. There were two other humanoid creatures, but they were walking on the ground. Well, walking like giant apes would bobbing around and swinging their arms. And they were wearing strait jackets without the arms tied back. Mike's blood ran cold at the sight and Micky tugged a little on Mike's sleeve out of fear. Mike was sure that had they been able to speak, Micky would have whimpered. Piper, on the other hand, didn't seem that phased by them, which wasn't surprising considering she had killed a lot of demons before.

The creatures on the ground swung their arms against the door to the bookstore trying to break it down, and unfortunately, they were having a fair amount of luck. The things were apparently incredibly strong. There was no way Mike could let those things get into the bookstore and hurt his friends. They'd already killed four able-bodied train robbers, what would happen to Davy, Peter, and the girls? Piper waved her arm at the demons, but they didn't budge. They did, however, turn to look at the three of them. Mike, Micky and Piper all darted around toward the back of the building as one of the jacketed things hobbled toward them. They were just as fast as they were strong. When they reached a back door, Mike mouthed "why didn't that work?" to Piper who shrugged in response. She mouthed back at him that it had never happened before. Micky frantically pounded on the back door, but Davy and Peter didn't come open it. Mike assumed it was because they weren't sure it was Mike and Micky at the door. Piper pulled on Micky's sleeve to get him to move. When he did, she threw her hands out and the door was blasted off its hinges with such force, it even seemed to surprise Piper. Peter, Davy and the girls were huddled in a corner as the door whizzed past them and shattered against a side wall. As soon as they saw Mike and Micky, however, the four of them darted toward the back door.

Pure adrenaline was allowing Davy to push past the pain in his leg and run on the cane. None of them were really sure what to do, so they just ran through town. None of the buildings were secure enough to really barricade themselves in. Mike looked over his shoulder and saw the two jacket wearing things running after them. Davy was a little slow despite the adrenaline, so Mike forced himself to slow down a little so that he was between the jacket wearing things and Davy. Micky had apparently thought to do the same thing and they were now running side by side. Piper continued to try and use her power against the minions, but nothing was working. It did seem as though they were being hit with something, but they appeared much too strong and pushed past whatever Piper threw at them, so to speak. They soon ran to the very edge of the town and had nothing but open space where they would surely be sitting ducks.

Micky mouthed the word "mines" and pointed to an old run-down sign directing them to where the mines were. Mike didn't like the idea, but they had nowhere else to really go. Their only hope was to try and lose them among the shafts and tunnels in the mine and hope they didn't get lost themselves. He had no choice but to follow his friends to the entrance to the mine. It was nothing more than a hole in the side of a mountain with wooden beams around it creating the appearance of a door frame. Just on the other side, darkness completely engulfed them. On the outside, their only light source had been the moon and the stars, but in here there was nothing. Mike bumped into the back of someone and quickly realized this was a very bad idea. He was about to leave and think of something else when he heard the sound of a match striking and turned to see that someone had lit a match and was moving it along the wall. It illuminated a lantern for a moment and the person moved to light it. Mike realized it was Piper as she moved the lantern in front of her face and started mouthing a few words. She took a deep breath and blew into the flame inside the lantern and as soon as she did that, every other lantern in the entire mine sparked with life and illuminated the way through the mine.

Everyone gave Piper a "good job" thumbs up or pat on the back before continuing down the mine. The tunnel they were in was very narrow, but they all fit well enough. After a minute or two, they reached the first three-way fork and decided to take the farthest left tunnel. They could only hear the shuffling of the jacket demons for a few minutes down the tunnel. Once they faded, the boys kept going for a little longer, but when they reached an open room with more branching tunnels, Mike signaled they should stop and that Davy needed to rest his leg. Davy took great pleasure in sitting down on the ground and Mike's stomach clenched a little at the look of pain on his face. Michelle moved to sit down next to Davy to try and tend to his bandage as much as she could as it was now starting to come off and having an open wound in an old mine shaft was a really, really bad idea. In the meantime, Mike asked, albeit silently, Peter what had happened. Peter answered, also silently, that the demons just showed up. Micky started writing on the paper that Peter still had and showed it to everyone.

_Four of the robbers from the train are dead. Piper and I found them in the saloon without their hearts. These things are strong. We didn't find the box and we can't stay in here forever. Since they need to kill seven people, I'm pretty sure the Devil wants them to kill Piper, Allison and Michelle to make us suffer. Piper, why aren't your powers working against these things?_

Again, Piper shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the words "it's never happened before". Mike took the paper from Micky and scribbled something below it.

_They're too strong. You're hurting them a little, but they're too strong. We have to find that box and get our voices back. _

Everyone just looked at him with expressions on their faces asking how they were supposed to do that. Mike sighed and threw the paper down in frustration. He really had no idea. They'd search all over town for that box and hadn't found a single clue as to where it was. The Gentlemen weren't holding it, so they must have been hiding it somewhere, but he had no idea where that could possibly be. The only place they hadn't looked was the tunnels of the mine they were currently hiding in, and there were tons of different ways they could get lost if they started looking down here.

He looked up in time to see Davy's eyes get wide and point at something behind his head. Mike turned and saw one of the jacket minions heading their way down the tunnel. He jumped up to try and fight the thing off, but suddenly it froze mid-step. Micky was right next to him and had an equally confused look on his face. The thing wasn't moving at all anymore. Mike turned to look at Piper who had her hands up as though she had tried to blast the thing away. Slowly she brought her hands down and Mike could tell she was as confused as the rest of them. It was clear she had done something that had caused the thing to stop in its tracks, but what that was, none of them knew. Micky walked over to the thing and started poking at it. Mike opened his mouth to tell Micky that was a bad idea, but since they couldn't talk, it was fruitless.

Michelle came over to Mike and tugged on his shirt sleeve. When he looked at her, she mouthed the words "maybe we should leave". Mike looked over at Davy who still looked to be in a lot of pain. They couldn't move very far with him in the condition he was in. The only reason they'd made it this far was the adrenaline rush Davy had gotten out of pure fear, but now it was coming back to bite him. Mike knew they couldn't leave; they'd have to kill the thing before it unfroze. The only weapon Mike had right now was a golf club, and he doubted that would do much against a creature that strong, but he tried to heft it anyway. Micky, however held his hand out to stop Mike before he swung and pointed at something against the wall. Mike turned and saw a mining cart full of pickaxes and shovels. Mike walked over and grabbed a shovel for himself and tossed a pickaxe at Micky who obligingly swung at the creature's head. It unfroze and fell to the ground dead. Some sort of green slime oozed out of the wound on its head. Micky mouthed the word "gross" and Mike was sure by the expressions on everyone else's faces that they were thinking the same thing.

Mike turned to propose a new plan to the others that they search down here, but stopped when he saw something else that scared him. A man standing in one of the tunnel entrances staring at all of them. What scared Mike was that he was almost completely transparent. He was wearing an old mining uniform and hat and oddly enough, he was smiling. Mike wasn't exactly sure what to do or say, so he just stood there. Before he could figure out what to do, the man disappeared. Everyone else had seen him, too, and when he disappeared, Allison looked at Piper and mouthed "was that a ghost?" Piper nodded and picked up the paper to write an answer on it.

_Yes, that must have been the ghost of one of the miners who died down here. They shouldn't bother us. But they must be the source of the energy here that those creatures are using to make themselves stronger and why my power was stronger when I tried to blast the door down in the bookstore._

Mike looked at her and mouthed the words "and the freezing thing?" She shook her head and wrote something else down below the first statement.

_I don't know what that was. I've never done that before. There is a power which freezes time, but I've never met anyone with that power before. It's also supposed to freeze everything, so I don't know why it only froze the creature and not you guys too._

Micky took the paper from Piper and scribbled something down.

_As much as I'd like an answer to that, the most important thing right now is getting our voices back. We looked all over town for that box, so the only other option is that it's down here in the mines somewhere. We need to go look for it. _

Again, Mike looked at Davy. He really didn't want to leave Davy here alone with the Gentlemen bearing down on them, but he didn't want to bring Davy with either. Not in the condition he was in anyway. Micky put a hand on Mike's shoulder and gave him a look that said more than any words could ever do. Micky was worried about Davy, too, but the only true way to save them all would have to be to find that box and destroy it. And that meant they had to leave Davy behind for now in order to save his life. But neither of them liked it. Piper looked at them as well and mouthed that she would stay with Davy and the others in case they needed more protection. Peter insisted that he go with Mike and Micky this time to have strength in numbers in case they were attacked. Michelle and Allison looked scared, but determined to help Davy. Davy looked like he wanted to argue about being fussed over again, but one look from Micky and he relented.

Mike, Peter and Micky moved the body of the jacket creature out of sight so everyone wouldn't have to stare at it and Peter grabbed a shovel for himself in case they needed it. Piper handed everyone who was staying behind either a shovel or pickaxe to use. As they set out down one of the tunnels, Micky scratched a line in the side of the wall with his pickaxe to mark which tunnel they'd come down to help in case they got lost. Mike had to admit they were lucky to have found these tools, but could have sworn they hadn't been there when they'd first entered the room. He just assumed he'd been so worried about dying that he didn't even notice it. He hoped.


	25. A Little Help

Author's Note: Ok, so no more posting every day. If I happen to do that, it'll be a treat. School is getting harder so I have to devote more time to that. But anyway, here you go. Hope you enjoy. Also, I really don't know much about miners and mining (just the geology involved, not the actual process of extracting the ore) so don't be mad if I got something wrong. I tried to do research on it, but didn't find much pertaining to what I needed.

Chapter 25: A Little Help

Micky walked ahead of Peter and Mike down one of the tunnels. They'd been walking for nearly an hour and knowing how big some of these mines could be, they probably had only searched a very small portion of it. Micky tried to ignore the thought that this really could take forever. If he focused on it too much, he'd lose hope and give up. After two hours they came to another room with a fork. They could either choose to go right or left. Mike pointed left and they followed him down that way with Micky making another scratch in the wall. They had barely walked into the tunnel when Micky felt something push him, but he couldn't see what it was. He stopped for a moment and looked around, but didn't even see so much as a fly. He had been in front of Peter and Mike and the push had come from in front of him, so it couldn't have been either of them.

Micky ignored it and continued on. He had taken a few more steps when he felt it again; something was definitely pushing him. He whirled around frantically trying to see what had done it, but again found nothing. Mike put his hand on his shoulder and mouthed the word "what" to him. Micky mouthed that someone was pushing him and Peter answered silently that there was no one there. Micky was about to answer that he knew that when he saw the ghost of one of the miners behind Mike, smiling at them. He pointed at the ghost, but before Mike and Peter could turn and see him, he disappeared. Micky wondered why the ghost would be pushing him like that, but shook his head and decided to keep going.

Once again, he felt himself get pushed, but hard enough to knock him off his feet this time. He tried to shout "what do you want!" to the ghost, but no sound came out. Peter shook his fist at the air in a vain attempt to intimidate whatever he thought was pushing Micky and Mike helped Micky get back up, both chuckling at Peter a little. Micky wasn't sure if he should keep going or not, but Mike decided to take the lead before he could come to a decision. He'd made it a few steps down the tunnel when the ghost of the miner reappeared in front of him, grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him back to the room where the fork had been. Peter and Micky chased Mike and the ghost out and watched as another ghost pointed down the tunnel to the right. The first ghost plopped Mike down on his backside in front of the entrance to the right tunnel.

Micky stared at the ghosts, astonished. Apparently they wanted them to go down the right tunnel. He wasn't really sure why, but he figured they'd keep pulling them out of the tunnel if they tried to go left again. Mike realized the same thing and after Micky helped him back to his feet and mouthed the words "guess we go right". Sure enough, there were no more problems the rest of the way through the tunnel. When they reached another fork, they all paused, unsure of which direction to go. They looked down each tunnel looking for any sign of which one was the right one but didn't see anything. Mike started to go down the left tunnel again. When nothing happened, they continued until they reached yet another fork. Micky tried to go down the left again, but was soon pushed again. He walked back out of the tunnel and went down the right one where nothing happened again. They continued like this for another hour.

When they finally reached the end of the network of tunnels they were following, there was a room with an exit on the other side of it. In the center of the room was a table with maps and schematics on it. It appeared to be the room the mining crew used as a base for setting their plans. There were seven glass jars on the table as well and luckily enough they were obscured by the darkness and some of the maps fluttering in the breeze. Micky had an idea of what was in those jars, and he didn't want to see it. Also in the middle of the table was the box that Piper had drawn. Micky was about to go over and smash the box when he realized the Gentlemen were entering from the other side of the room along with the last jacket creature. Micky cringed at how grotesque they looked.

When they saw Mike, Micky and Peter, the Gentlemen stopped and the jacket creature started running towards them. Mike hefted his shovel like a bat and swung, but the jacket creature dodged and plowed into Micky knocking him to the ground. Micky tried to push the thing off him, but it was too heavy and he was overwhelmed by the smell of decay which caused him to nearly throw up. The jacket creature hit him across the face a few times before Mike was able to swing the shovel at him again and connect with its head. When the jacket creature had been knocked off him, Micky looked toward the box. Through his blurred vision caused by the pain of the assault, he saw Peter running towards it, axe held high. Micky smiled thinking Peter was going to quickly end it now, but the Gentlemen finally started to fight back realizing that their jacket wearing friend was outnumbered and they were about to lose.

One of them picked up a sharp scalpel off the table and advanced on Peter. Micky tried to yell to try and warn Peter, but of course nothing came out. At the same time, the jacket creature recovered and launched itself at Mike now, knocking him to the ground. The fact that this thing could recover so quickly after being hit in the head with a shovel scared Micky; it showed just how strong this thing was and now _they_ seemed horribly outnumbered. Micky jumped up to try and help Peter, but it was too late. The Gentleman with the scalpel reached Peter just before he was able to break the box and stabbed him in the stomach. Peter dropped to the ground in pain and clutched his stomach. Micky ran forward and tackled the Gentleman who had stabbed Peter, knocking him into the table and scattering everything everywhere. All the jars fell onto the ground and shattered, but Micky still refused to look at them; all he saw was the box slide across the dirt floor.

He quickly pushed himself up and ran toward the box, but felt himself get pulled back inches before he could reach it. The jacket creature had knocked Mike out and was now after him. Micky fell to the ground and the jacket creature started trying to hit him again. Micky tried to fight it off, but the creature was just too strong. Micky now regretted leaving the others behind. They were outnumbered and they were failing. Miserably. With Mike knocked out a few feet away and Peter with a stab wound to the stomach, there wasn't much either of them could do to help Micky and there was no way Micky was going to gain the upper hand against this creature on top of him. It was like he was being pinned down and beaten by 4 men.

But suddenly the jacket creature was off him. Micky wasn't sure how and it took him a second to catch his breath and force his vision back into focus. When he looked, he saw several ghosts in the room now. The jacket creature was now pinned underneath several of them and when the Gentlemen tried to grab more scalpels to try and stab Micky, a couple other ghosts knocked them out of reach. Without thinking twice, Micky pushed himself back up and ran to the box and stomped on it with all his might. The box was crushed under his foot and several white smoky wisps escaped and whipped around the room. Some went back down the hallway, but others went into Mike, Peter and Micky's mouths. Micky opened his mouth and screamed as loudly as he could. He had to admit, it felt really good just to be able to make any kind of sound again.

As he screamed, the jacket creature convulsed on the floor as if it were having a seizure of some sort and the Gentlemen held their hands to their ears as though trying to block out the sound. After a few seconds, their heads exploded with the same green goo that the jacket creature they killed earlier had oozed out of its head and they fell motionless to the ground. For a moment, everything was still and motionless as the shock of everything was wearing off. Then Micky ran over to Peter who was now starting to sit up again. He shook his head and pointed at Mike.

"I'm ok, Micky," Peter said even though there was blood staining his shirt. "Help Mike."

"Peter, you're bleeding," Micky argued.

"It's just a flesh wound," Peter retorted. "I'll be fine. Wake Mike up." Micky nodded a little and ran over to Mike. He had a cut on his cheek and it looked like a bruise was forming over his eye.

"Mike," Micky pled grabbing his friend and trying to rouse him. "Mike, wake up. It's over. We won. Wake up." Mike finally groaned and opened his eyes a bit.

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"We had a little help," Micky said looking at the ghosts in the room. "Thank you for helping us. I just wish there was something we could do to help you."

"There is," one of them said stepping forward. "But that can be saved for later. Your friends should be on their way here now. There are some bandages in a first aid station outside here. You can tend to your friend's wound first."

"Thank you," Micky said. He looked at Mike to make sure he was ok before getting up to retrieve the bandages. Mike nodded that he was ok and started to push himself up. When Micky walked outside the mine, he could see a small shack a few feet away. He pulled open the door and looked inside. Sitting on the table right next to the door was a bag full of several medical supplies. Grabbing the whole bag and ran back to Peter. Mike was sitting next to him now and trying to inspect the wound.

"It doesn't look that deep or that big," Mike said when Micky dropped to the ground next to them.

"So we're lucky they didn't have any knives," Micky said.

"That's honestly what I was expecting when we read they cut out hearts," Peter said trying to laugh. "But I'm glad I was wrong."

"Just relax, Pete," Micky said. "We'll get this fixed up and get you to a hospital."

"Wherever one is," Mike added. Micky pulled out a really old bandage and gauze pad, but they were still in their wrappers, so they looked clean enough. He placed the gauze pad over the wound on Peter's stomach and applied pressure to try and stop the bleeding. Peter inhaled sharply in pain and Micky's stomach flipped a little.

"I know it hurts, Peter, but we have to stop the bleeding," Micky said.

"I know," Peter answered. "It's ok. I'm fine."

"Give me the bandage," Mike said. Micky handed the rolled up bandage to Micky with his free hand so Mike could start wrapping it around Peter's stomach to hold the gauze in place. As soon as they finished, they heard a shuffling noise down the tunnel they had come in and tensed for another fight. They relaxed when they realized it was Piper, Michelle, Allison and Davy.

"It took us hours to navigate these tunnels," Mike said. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"We left not long after you did," Piper said.

"Why?" Micky asked, though he was somewhat grateful they wouldn't have to wait down here for another couple hours.

"The ghosts couldn't talk either," Michelle said. "But they made it clear in their own way they wanted us to follow you. So after much persuasion, we did."

"What happened?" Allison said seeing Peter and running to his side.

"War wound," Peter said with a laugh.

"This isn't funny, Peter," she admonished.

"No, it's not, it really hurts, but I'll be ok," Peter answered. "Mike said it wasn't that bad."

"Are you sure?" Davy asked.

"Yeah," Mike said. "He still needs a hospital, but I doubt it'll need stitches."

"You should get looked at, too, Mike," Micky said. "You were out for at least a minute."

"I'm fine," Mike answered. "Just didn't think that thing was gonna be that strong. How exactly did you manage to overpower it anyway?"

"I didn't," Micky said. "I told you, I had help. The miners pulled it off me so I could get to the box. When I broke it, all I had to do was scream and they kinda…exploded."

"Ew," Michelle said looking at the dead demons.

"You said there was something we could do to return the favor," Micky said turning to the ghost who had spoken to him earlier. "What can we do to help?"

"We were killed in a mining accident a long time ago," he answered.

"Yeah, we read about that," Mike said. "Some sort of explosion."

"Yes," the ghost answered. "Only it wasn't an accident. "Not really. There's a legend that the Indians who lived here before us stole a bunch of golden treasure from the Spanish and buried it in this area. The foreman heard about it and decided he wanted to find it."

"Now why am I not surprised by that?" Mike said.

"He started getting impatient and set too many charges one day," another ghost said. "We tried to tell him it was too much, but he wouldn't listen. He set them off before we could get out."

"Did he die down here, too?" Micky asked.

"No," the first ghost said. "He was one of the survivors. "But he convinced the townspeople the whole place was cursed by the Indians so they left in a hurry without bothering with us."

"We heard it was because it was too expensive," Peter said.

"That was the story they gave, I guess," the second ghost said. "Either way, we're stuck here because they left us behind. We know you personally can't dig us out, but if there was a way you could help convince some of our neighboring towns to help give us a proper burial, we can move on."

"I can't promise you that we can convince anyone to help," Mike said. "But we can promise you that we will try our hardest. We owe you our lives."

"That's all we ask," the first ghost said.

"I just have one question," Mike said. "Back in the tunnels, I could have sworn that the cart with the shovels and axes hadn't been there when we first came in. Did you have something to do with that?"

"Did you really think you could defend yourselves with golf clubs and fire pokers?" the ghost said with a smile.

"What about the time freeze thing?" Piper asked.

"That wasn't us," he answered. "That was you."

"Strange," Piper said. "I've never done that before."

"Maybe it's another new power," Micky said. "You said they gave you the telekinesis power for helping save so many lives. Maybe they gave you another one."

"It's possible," she mused.

"Now we just have to figure out how we are going to get out of town," Mike said. "Our car is broken."

"The mines around here are connected to a central factory to process the ore," the ghost answered. "I don't know if it still works, but we would load a cart with ore and send it off to be processed in a neighboring town. We can show you were the cart is and you can just ride it to the processing plant. There's a small town right on the outskirts of it. Permitting it still works, of course."

"Lead the way," Mike said. Micky and Mike lifted Peter and carried him between them out the mine followed by the others. It didn't take very long to reach the cart the ghost had been talking about and they carefully placed Peter inside it so he was leaning against the side of it.

"You push that button and it takes the cart to the factory," the ghost said pointing at a large button on a box next to the factory. "I'm not entirely sure how it works. It was a new thing when we were alive and I never understood it. Just that it made our lives easier."

"That's ok," Micky said. "It probably runs on electricity. There's a cable attached to the bottom of the cart. It…"

"Micky," Mike said cutting him off and putting his hand on Micky's shoulder. "I don't think they care. Why don't you just do what it is you do and make sure it works?"

"Sorry," Micky said and started inspecting the cart. "Looks like it should if there's still power going to it."

"Well, everyone get in and let's give it a shot," Mike said. The cart was a large one, but the group still fit together very tightly. There was enough room to sit, but everyone was kind of scrunched together and to keep Davy's leg from bumping and scraping, Mike insisted he rest it on top of Mike's legs so he could keep it stable. No one knew how bumpy the ride would be. When they'd settled in and tried to stabilize Peter as much as they could by having him lean against Allison, Micky reached over and pushed the button. A motor started below them and Micky looked at the ghosts who had helped them before the cart took off.

"We'll be back with news," Mike said before Micky could. "Whether it's good or bad, I promise we'll be back."

"But we hope it's good news," Michelle added.

"Of course," Mike said. "Thank you again." With that the ghosts smiled and waved them good-bye as the cart made its way along the dusty old rusted out track. Micky prayed the track held up the whole way, but with no one to tend to it over decades, he wasn't getting his hopes up.


	26. Refuge

Author's Note: Thank you all for the continued support!

Chapter 26: Refuge

The Monkees sat in the cart for nearly an hour. The cart moved rather slowly, probably 10 miles an hour or so, but it was still faster than they could have walked. The ride wasn't exactly smooth either; thanks to the rusty tracks and rocks in the way, they had been jarred several times. Mike tried to keep Davy's leg as stable as possible during the ride, but when the car ran over a particularly large rock, Davy's leg was jarred very heavily and bumped into Mike's belt buckle. Davy had gasped in pain and Mike's stomach had clenched with worry.

Peter wasn't faring much better. Every jostle of the cart caused him to inhale sharply from pain. Micky had tried to move a little closer to Peter to help offer more support, but he'd only caused the cart to jostle more from his movements. Peter had told Micky not to worry about him and that he'd be fine, but Mike knew that was easier said than done. He'd been worrying about both Peter and Davy the whole ride and had no doubt Micky was doing the same. There was a pain in the back of his own head and a few times he'd almost nodded off to sleep, but was awoken by either Michelle or Micky kicking him.

"Don't fall asleep, Mike," Micky said when it happened again.

"I'm not," Mike lied.

"Liar," Michelle chastised. "Your face looks really bad. You probably have a concussion. No sleeping."

"I'm fine," Mike said. Before either could argue again, they hit another rock in the track and everyone was jostled once more in the cart. Mike gripped Davy's leg steady, but Peter was shaken around despite Allison holding tightly to him and winced in pain again.

"Maybe we should foot it the rest of the way," Micky looking worriedly at Peter.

"No," Peter argued. "I'm ok. It'll take us longer to walk on foot anyway."

"Besides, there's no way to stop the cart," Mike added.

"I think we're almost there, anyway," Davy said pointing in the distance. Mike and the others turned to see a skyline of buildings in the distance. They were indeed approaching another city. Within another 15 minutes of seeing the city, the cart pulled to a stop in front of a set of doors leading to a rather large factory. Micky got out first followed by the girls and Mike. Mike and Piper helped Davy get out of the cart and Micky helped Allison get Peter.

"So now we find the hospital," Micky mumbled supporting Peter on his shoulders.

"What in the world is going on here?" said a man coming out of the factory and pointing a shotgun at them. They all froze as he squared each of them down.

"Uh," Mike started. "See, we were driving through and got stuck in Hanson. Our friend got injured and our car was wrecked so we found this cart and thought it might lead us to a hospital."

"Please, sir," Piper added. "We really don't mean any harm or anything. He's hurt bad and needs a hospital."

"Well, I'll be damned," the man said lowering the shotgun once he realized Peter really was hurt. "I had no idea that thing still even worked. Ain't no one been to Hanson in years! Not since the 'splosion."

"Yeah, well, like I said, our car got stuck," Mike said. "Can you tell us where the hospital is?"

"I can do ya one better," the man answered. "Hop in my truck and I'll take ya there."

"Thank you," Mike said. They all followed him around the side of the building to an old truck. They helped Peter into the back of the truck first. Allison climbed back with him followed by Michelle and Piper who helped Davy up. When they'd gotten settled, there really wasn't much more room for Micky and Mike.

"You two can ride up front with me," the man said opening the side door for them. Mike was a bit reluctant seeing as how this man had just pointed a shotgun at them, but climbed in nonetheless. He sat in the middle and Micky climbed in after him. The man then walked around the front and climbed in behind the driver's seat.

"So do you greet everyone with a shotgun?" Micky asked sounding a little nervous.

"Only people I ain't 'specting ta see this late in the night and comin' in on an old mining cart that ain't been used in decades," he answered with a hearty laugh. "Ya'll gave me a fright. My wife done near had a heart attack."

"We're sorry," Mike said. "We really didn't mean to scare anyone."

"Name's Bellinger," the man said. "I run the factory."

"I'm Mike," Mike said. "And this is Micky."

"What were you folks doing drivin' through Hanson this late at night anyway?" Bellinger asked.

"We uh…" Mike said. He knew he couldn't admit the truth to this man; he would think it too outrageous, but he didn't really know what else to say.

"We got lost," Micky offered to Mike's relief.

"And how did your friend get hurt?" Bellinger asked.

"It was an accident," Micky said. "He fell on something and cut his stomach."

"It was really dark," Mike added.

"And what about you?" Bellinger asked. "You look like you got into a fight and lost."

"I fell too," Mike lied. "How much farther is this hospital?"

"Just up the road a bit," Bellinger answered. "You sure you boys ain't in a gang?"

"A gang?" Micky asked surprised. "Of course not! We got lost and it was dark so we couldn't see. That's all."

"Well, just so's you don't bring no trouble 'round here," Bellinger said.

"I promise," Mike said. "We've had enough trouble to last a lifetime."

"More than enough," Micky agreed as they finally pulled into a parking lot in front of a hospital. It didn't appear to be anything special; just a single story small hospital fit for a small town. It actually looked more like a ski resort than a hospital, complete with a large mountain range behind it.

"Thank you for the ride," Mike said as he and Micky hurried to get out of the truck partly to get Peter into the hospital quickly and partly to get away from Bellinger's questions.

"We really should come up with a better story than that for the doctors," Micky whispered quietly as they rushed around to the back of the truck. "We can't very well say our friend was stabbed by a demon. They'll commit us."

"True," Mike agreed as he reached up to help Davy get down. "Why can't we just say it was a random attack?"

"In the middle of a ghost town that's supposed to have been abandoned?" Micky pointed out.

"Why do we have to tell them where we were?" Davy asked.

"Well, for one thing, we still need to try and get those miners dug up," Micky answered as the girls handed Peter off to him and Mike to help carry. "And for another, something tells me that guy will have the whole town knowing we were in Hanson by morning."

"Micky's got a point," Mike said. The girls jumped down from the truck and followed them to the hospital.

"Guys, it's simple," Michelle said. "Our car _did_ crash, right? We got lost driving through Idaho, somehow made it to Hanson and our car crashed when we blew a tire. Simple as that."

"See, now why didn't we think of that?" Mike asked.

"Cause we don't make a habit out of lying," Micky answered with a laugh.

"Are you saying I do?" Michelle asked throwing him a look.

"Not at all," Micky laughed. "Just that you have a good imagination."

"And actually, we lie all the time, Mrs. Arcadian," Mike joked.

"What?" Piper asked staring at them confused.

"Story for another time," Micky said. Luckily they had just reached the front desk of the hospital and so they wouldn't have to explain it to the girls just yet.

"Oh dear," the nurse said looking at Peter. "Follow me please and tell me what happened?" She led them through a set of doors and into a room.

"We were in a car accident," Mike said going with the lie Michelle had concocted. "Got lost and crashed in some old ghost town nearby. Had to take a mining cart here."

"Oh my," she said again. "Wait here, I'll get the doctor." She left the room and Mike and Micky lay Peter down on the bed.

"How you doing, buddy?" Mike asked.

"I'm ok," Peter said. But now that they could see him in a much better light, Micky could see he was shaky and a little pale. "Your face does look pretty bad though, Mike." Mike was about to respond that he was ok and ask for everyone to stop pointing out how bad he looked when the doctor came in with the nurse behind him.

"What happened?" the doctor asked walking straight over to Peter.

"We crashed our car," Micky answered moving out of the way so that the doctor could get to Peter easier. The doctor lifted up Peter's shirt and saw the bandages already there. "We were stuck in a ghost town and found some old medical supplies. We had to ride a mining cart just to get here."

"You're lucky you found these then," the doctor said removing them. "Wounds can get easily infected when exposed to dirt like that. This doesn't look like it'll need stitches. The bleeding has already slowed down significantly on its own. We'll just make sure the wound is clean and put a fresh bandage, but he will need plenty of rest. I'll want him to stay at least 24 hours to keep an eye on him and make sure the wound isn't infected."

"Thank you," Mike said.

"What about you?" the doctor asked turning to Mike. "You look banged up yourself. Are the rest of you hurt?"

"Mike probably has a concussion," Michelle said before Mike could answer. She squeezed his hand in reassurance. He knew he couldn't keep downplaying his own injuries anymore; no one was letting him. "And Davy has a burn on his leg, but that happened a while ago. Mishap with some firecrackers on the train ride out here."

"Alright, Mike," the doctor started, "sit down and let me take a look while my nurse takes care of your friend." The doctor ran through a few tests on Mike to check how bad his concussion was while the nurse re-bandaged Peter. After a few minutes, the nurse turned to check that Davy's wound was healing in addition to putting a clean bandage on it and the doctor placed a butterfly bandage over the cut on Mike's cheek.

"You're both set," the nurse said to Davy as she finished as well. "Peter, just lie down and rest now."

"The rest of you can leave," the doctor said.

"What about Peter?" Micky asked.

"He needs plenty of rest," the doctor answered. "This many people crowding around him and he'll never be able to get any rest."

"But-" Micky started to protest, but Peter cut him off.

"He's right, guys," Peter said holding a hand up to stop Micky mid-sentence. "I'm really tired and I want to sleep. I'm sure the rest of you do, too. Why don't you just take some of the extra money we've got and find a hotel or something for the night? I'll be fine. I promise."

"I'm not so sure leaving you alone right now is a good idea," Mike said trying to convey that they were still in danger even though they'd killed the Gentlemen without outright saying it for fear they'd be perceived as crazy people.

"Why not?" Peter argued. "We took care of the problem, right? And I'm in a hospital. What could happen to me in a hospital?"

"It'll just be a few hours and you both need to sleep with injuries like these," Michelle added then lowered her voice so only Mike could hear. "Besides, he only wanted to kill us to make you suffer, right?"

"Why can't we sleep here?" Micky asked.

"Because this hospital cannot accommodate that," the doctor said firmly. "Your friend will be fine. I will see to it through the night. You can come back in the morning. It sounds like you've all had a rough day. There's an inn right up the street from here actually. Not even a quarter mile so you won't be very far from your friend at all."

"Guys, I'm really gonna be ok here," Peter said. Mike and Micky looked at Peter for a moment before they both relented.

"Alright, but we'll be back first thing in the morning, ok?" Mike said.

"I'll let you guys have a set of crutches which will be easier to walk on than the cane for his leg," the doctor said pointing at Davy.

"You may have to get a child's size for him," Micky joked. Mike, Peter and the girls laughed as Davy gave Micky a dirty look. They stopped when Peter inhaled sharply and clutched his stomach.

"Don't do that," the doctor said. "He needs to rest. The nurse will call the inn and let them know you're coming so they can start getting a room ready for you. We really don't have many visitors here in Kellogg this time of year since it's not ski season, so I'm sure they'll find something for you."

"We're in Kellogg?" Micky asked surprised.

"Yes," the doctor said. "Have a good night, folks." He and left the room so everyone could say their good-bye's to Peter for the night. Once they did, with Allison giving him a kiss, they walked out of the room where the nurse was waiting with a set of crutches. She told them she'd already lowered it to the shortest setting and handed them to Davy after showing him how to use them. They made their way out of the hospital and the nurse pointed them in the direction they needed to go informing them the hotel had 2 rooms waiting for them. It only took them about five minutes to walk there, even with Davy limping on the crutches. When they arrived, the attendant told them what rooms they would be in and Mike handed her some of the cash they were supposed to use for the hotel in Hanson. They checked in, said good night to the girls and all passed out no sooner than their heads hit the pillows.

* * *

"Looks like you failed again," Arcesso said almost gleefully as he and the Devil inspected the bodies of the Gentlemen in the mine.

"Excuse me for not planning on the dead meddling with my plans!" the Devil roared in anger. He was truly seething at having lost yet again.

"Well, what do you expect?" Arcesso answered. "They're stuck here. If they can find a way out, they will."

"That's not why we did it," said the ghost who had led the boys through the tunnels as he appeared in front of the two demons. "After all, there's no guarantee they'll be able to help us. We know that. We helped them because we could and they deserved it. It was the right thing to do; not that either of you would know anything about the right thing to do."

"If I had the ability, I'd banish your soul to Hell for the rest of eternity!" the Devil bellowed at the ghost. Every lantern in the room burst with huge balls of fire and nearly set everything in the room ablaze.

"But you can't, because we're already dead and our souls are stuck here anyway," the ghost said smugly before disappearing again.

"Calm down," Arcesso said. "Before you torch the place."

"I am perfectly in control of things," the Devil snarled.

"At least you can take solace in the fact that three of the boys are injured," Arcesso said. "All four if you count Dolenz's concussion from yesterday."

"Yes, but it's not enough," the Devil said. "They will heal rather quickly."

"So do you have another plan?" Arcesso asked.

"Not yet," the Devil answered. "But I will think of something and I refuse to fail again!"


	27. Meet the Mayor

Author's Note: Here's a treat. I actually managed to crank one out in one night. Idea's just kept rolling in my head until I typed them out. Enjoy! Also this is dedicated to a dear friend of mine. :D

Chapter 27: Meet the Mayor

Micky woke up first again the next morning. When he did, he walked into the bathroom and took a much needed long, hot shower. When he'd finished he noted that he hadn't felt that clean in a long time, but that was probably because he hadn't felt so dirty after having spent hours in an old mine and a whole day in a ghost town, not to mention the ride in the old mining cart. He couldn't get dressed in clean clothes, since they didn't have any of their stuff, so he was forced to put his dirty clothes back on and tried to do something with his hair. When he walked out of the bathroom, Mike and Davy were already awake.

"Sorry, did I wake you guys?" Micky asked.

"We needed to get up anyway," Mike said. "How was the shower?"

"Really great," Micky answered. "Have at it. There's still plenty of hot water."

"Thanks," Mike said and ducked in the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, Davy went and showered. He spent another half hour in the bathroom once he'd finished. While he was preening himself, Mike and Micky discussed what their plan of action would be.

"We could find the mayor or whatever and make an appeal to him here in Kellogg," Micky suggested.

"Yes, but what are we going to say?" Mike asked. "There's a bunch of ghosts who want their bodies unburied?"

"No," Micky answered. "We just say we read about it and wonder why no one has thought to give those men a proper burial."

"I don't think that'll work," Mike said.

"Well, we have to try," Micky answered.

"Of course we do," Mike said. "I made a promise to them."

"Why don't we just tell the mayor the truth?" Davy asked coming out of the bathroom hobbling on one foot.

"Cause he'll think we're crazy," Micky answered.

"He'll know we're not crazy if he sees them for himself," Davy said.

"I don't know, Davy," Mike said. "I don't foresee him going along with us enough to give it a try. And most people who see ghosts would be terrified."

"Heck, we were terrified until we realized they were trying to help us," Micky said.

"That's because we're chickens," Davy said.

"Cluck cluck," Micky said absently.

"Either way, I think we need to think of something else," Mike said.

"I don't see you throwing out any ideas," Micky quipped.

"That's because I don't have any…yet," Mike answered.

"Why don't we just go get the girls and visit Peter," Micky said. "Maybe we'll think of something on the way."

"Sure," Mike answered. "You ready, Davy?" Davy nodded and grabbed his crutches. The girls were up and waiting for the boys as well. On the way to the hospital, they discussed the ideas the girls had for helping the miners. They agreed the best person to talk to would be whoever ran this town, but they also thought that just suggesting that someone unbury the men would work.

"Why would they want to?" Mike asked. "What incentive do they have?"

"Look at this place," Michelle pointed out. "It's got to be one of the smallest towns I've ever seen. People have got to be bored out of their minds out here for one thing."

"And for another, their tourism comes from skiing and the mines," Piper added.

"So if they excavate another mine that has such an interesting and devastating history behind it, it'll be sure to attract attention and therefore, more tourists," Allison finished.

"See," Micky said when they walked into the hospital. "It's a win-win. They get new tourists which adds to their income and the miners get proper burials."

"It's worth a shot," Davy added.

"Sure," Mike agreed finally. "We'll give it a shot once we make sure Peter's ok." The nurse from the night before was still working and she greeted them when they came in. She walked them back to Peter's room and left to get the doctor.

"Hey, Peter," Mike said. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Much better," Peter answered. He looked a lot better, too. He wasn't as pale and shaky anymore and he was sitting up on his own, which was also a good sign. "They said that there's no sign of infection and the bleeding stopped completely sometime during the night. You look better too, Mike!"

"I'm feeling a lot better," Mike answered with a smile. "Thanks, buddy."

"That's good to hear," the doctor said when he walked in. "Peter is healing nicely. I think it would be safe to send him home. Or at least back to your hotel until you boys decide you're going home."

"Are you sure he's going to be ok?" Mike asked.

"I'm sure," the doctor answered. "I'll get the discharge papers ready. Just take it easy. He still needs to rest when he can, but he can do it around his friends. The bandages will need to be changed every 8 hours or so, and I can give him a pain killer to take as needed. Keep an eye on the wound and if you see any signs of infection, bring him back here as soon as you can."

"Sure thing," Micky answered. The doctor left to go get the discharge papers and Mike told Peter about their plan.

"Once we can get the mayor or whatever to agree to re-bury them, we'll head home," Mike said.

"Sounds good to me," Peter said. "But can we get some food first? I'm starving."

"They didn't give you anything last night?" Mike asked with a chuckle. Now that Peter had brought it up, Micky realized that he was starving too. And with perfect timing, his stomach growled very loudly causing everyone to look at him.

"What?" Micky asked laughing. "I'm hungry too!"

"They gave me food, but it was gross," Peter answered when everyone had stopped laughing at Micky.

"Sure, we can go get a bite to eat somewhere," Mike said. "All of us are hungry." When the doctor had brought in the discharge papers and Peter had signed them, they started walking out. On the way out, Mike asked the nurse where a good place to eat was. She told them of a place to get a good pizza across the highway and behind the water park. Their pace was a little slow as Davy was still on crutches to support his leg and Peter was still a little weary from the pain medication they'd given him.

"What in the world?" Peter asked pointing down the street a ways when they had nearly reached the pizza place. "Am I going crazy from these pain meds?"

"No, Peter, people here are apparently just weird," Mike answered laughing. Micky saw a blonde girl around the age of 20 walking down the street with a pirate outfit on, complete with hat and eye patch.

"And here we thought we got the strangest looks from the people we meet," Micky laughed.

"Don't start," Davy laughed.

"Apparently people really do get very, very bored here," Michelle added with a laugh.

"Can you blame her?" Allison asked. "I don't think there's much to do in this town. Even though there's a library here, it's very small. There isn't even a bookstore here."

"But there's a water park," Davy commented pointing at it as they approached it.

"Now how often do you think they actually use it?" Mike asked. "It snows half the year up here if not more."

"Wouldn't surprise me if it only got used one or two months out of the year," Piper said.

"Let's just get our food, shall we?" Micky asked as his stomach let out another growl. They got to the pizza place and ordered a large pepperoni and a large cheese to share between all of them. When they'd finished eating, Mike asked where they might find the mayor's office. She told them there was a city council office if they crossed south across the parking lot and then a couple of streets. They paid for their meal and headed for the city council's office. When they got there, a brunette greeted them from behind the desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"We'd like to talk to the mayor," Mike said.

"Regarding?" she prompted.

"Well, um…" Mike said.

"We had an idea to bounce off him as a way to get more tourists to come to your wonderful city," Micky finished.

"Well, he's very busy," she said turning back to her paperwork.

"Please, it's kind of important," Mike pled.

"Sure it is," she said still ignoring them. "I told you he's busy."

"Doing what?" Davy asked.

"None of your business," she snorted.

"Look, can you just ask him if he'd be willing to take a minute of his time?" Piper asked sweetly.

"He's busy," the receptionist said again.

"You mentioned that," Micky said. "But what's the harm in asking him? It'll only take a minute."

"You boys aren't from around here," she said.

"No, we're from California," Mike answered. "We were vacationing up here and got stranded."

"And you just thought that you'd waltz on in here and bug the mayor?" she snorted. "You think because this is a small town that he doesn't have anything better to do with his time than listen to a bunch of long haired weirdos?"

"Hey," Micky started but stopped when Mike elbowed him in the stomach to silence him.

"Well, we sort of got the idea when we crashed in Hanson," Mike said. "We just want to help. We don't mean to trouble anyone. We know he's very busy, but we wanted to help." She stared at them for a moment as though trying to decide whether or not to let them win. Finally she sighed and picked up the phone.

"Sir, there are some folks here that want to talk to you," she said after a few moments. "They say it's important and has something to do with boosting tourism. I told them you were busy, but they insist I ask if you have a minute for them." She paused to listen to his response. "Of course, sir." She hung up the phone and shot Mike a dirty look. "He's in a meeting, but if you want to wait over there, he said he'd talk to you in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Mike said dryly. They moved to a set of chairs in the corner and all sat down.

"Hey, what about those train robbers?" Piper whispered. Micky paled; he'd forgotten all about them.

"I completely forgot about them," Mike agreed.

"Well, we have to tell them about them," Michelle said. "We can't just leave them there."

"What do we tell them?" Davy asked.

"The truth," Micky said. "We found them. It's an honest answer. We don't have to say we know who killed them."

"They're going to ask us," Mike pointed out.

"Well, we just say we don't know," Micky answered quietly. "They're train robbers. Who's to say they didn't get killed by a rival gang? I feel bad they died on our account, but they were bad people. They pointed guns at us and could have killed us on that train."

"They did hurt Micky," Peter added. "Who knows how many other people they've hurt or killed."

"Or would have in the future," Davy added.

"So it's ok if we lie a little," Michelle said. "What good is telling the truth going to do us, anyway?"

"Ok, you all have valid points," Mike agreed. "I just don't like lying. And I don't like it when people die, whether they were criminals or not."

"None of us do, Mike," Micky said. He felt a little bad for their deaths, too, but at the same time, who knows how many people were spared from future crimes from those robbers because of it. "But there's nothing we can do about it." After a few minutes, a man opened a door to a side office and emerged with another man. The first man left the building and the second man walked toward the group.

"Thank you for waiting," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, we were hoping to talk to you about our little…let's say un-intended adventure," Mike started as he led them all back into his office. Micky could feel the receptionist staring daggers at them as if she hated the fact that they had won the chance to talk to her boss.

"I heard that you crashed your car in Hanson," the mayor said.

"Wow, news travels fast around here," Davy laughed.

"The doctor who tended to your friend is my brother-in-law," he answered with a smile. "Even if he weren't, it's a very small town and everyone knows everyone else's business."

"Yes, well, we heard about what happened in Hanson, and thought it was depressing," Mike continued. "325 people buried and never excavated or given a proper burial; what happened there?"

"Legend had it the town was cursed," the mayor answered. "No one has wanted to set foot in that town since."

"Are you superstitious?" Micky asked.

"Of course not," he answered. "I just haven't seen a reason to go to that town either."

"Well, we did sort of find a reason why you might have to," Mike said. "When we were looking around to try and find a way to fix our car and get out of town, we sort of came upon a murder."

"A murder?" he asked surprised.

"4 of them, to be exact," Micky said. "We found them in an upstairs saloon. We recognized them as some of the men who robbed the train we took to get out here. We think they hid out in that town to try and escape the authorities and either turned on each other or met a rival gang."

"That is tragic," the mayor said. "I'll call the state police and let them take care of it. But that doesn't tell me why I should bother trying to excavate an old mine."

"Well, there are hundreds of men buried there," Peter said. "That doesn't bother you?"

"I never said it didn't," the mayor answered. "It is a troublesome fact of life, but a fact of life nonetheless."

"But wouldn't excavating the mine be profitable for you?" Michelle prompted. "It would bring more tourists."

"It costs money to do that kind of stuff," he answered.

"Yes, but the profit would make up for the cost," Piper said. "I own a business myself, so I understand that you have to spend money to make money. But the fact is old ghost towns and mines are tourist traps. Especially those with such a dark and tragic background. You could make thousands off the mine and even the town if you could renovate it and restore it."

"I don't doubt you on that, but again, we don't have the money," the mayor said. "If I had the funds to push there, I would do it. You are right about it being a veritable gold mine for tourists, but I simply can't afford it."

"What if we raised the money?" Davy asked.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" the mayor asked sounding skeptical.

"Well, we're a band," Davy answered. "We could do like a benefit show or something!"

"Davy, that only works if the band playing it is famous," Mike pointed out.

"I think it's worth a shot!" Micky countered. Who cared if they were famous or not; he wanted to do everything they could to help the miners out.

"We did plan on coming up here to do a show anyway," Peter agreed.

"Are you boys any good?" the mayor asked.

"They're really good," Piper said.

"What could it hurt to try?" Michelle asked. "It won't cost anything except a few flyers around town. We could ask the townspeople for donations and stuff."

"The townspeople here could never raise enough money on their own," the mayor said. "Even if everyone donated 5 bucks, it still wouldn't be enough."

"What about neighboring towns?" Mike asked deciding he liked the idea too. "I mean, it'll boost the economy for all of you." The mayor thought for a second and the boys waited in silence holding their breaths.

"I'll make a few calls, but I can't guarantee it'll work," the mayor finally said. "How long will you boys be staying here?"

"Well, we don't really know," Mike answered honestly. "With our rental car broken, we're kind of stuck. We have some money and return tickets for a train, but they're in a week and we have no way of getting back to the station at Portland."

"I'll see what I can do about that, too," the mayor said. "Leave the information for where you're staying with my secretary and I'll be in touch."

"Thank you, sir," Mike said. They left their information with the secretary, who was still fuming, and made their way back to their hotel to await the call from the mayor.


	28. A Day of Rest

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I know I said no more daily, but I didn't expect a week in between postings. Got caught up watching old cartoons on youtube (mostly the Tick because Micky supplied his voice for the first 13 episodes and I found it funny) and finally got the really terrible movie Invisible Mom 2 which I ordered because it was cheap and Micky plays a villain (btw, him and the girl playing his sister are the ONLY two that could act in the whole move, the rest was just bad…..really, really bad…and I blame the writing staff for Micky's terrible puns). AND I cleaned my room and found my PSP and DS that I haven't touched in about a year…But anyway, caught up on my homework (how I'm managing straight A's in the hardest semester of my life so far completely confounds me) and sleep (for the time being…..mom's coming for a visit and I haven't seen her for 2 years, and since I work nights and sleep days, I'm gonna have to mess up my sleep schedule again to spend any time with her). Anyway, enough of my rambling….on to the story.

Chapter 28: A Day of Rest

The group had spent the rest of the day resting in the boys' hotel room. They had either watched movies on television or played games. Peter, Mike and Davy had fallen asleep a few times throughout the day, which was good for them; the more they rested, the faster they could heal. This left Micky in charge of getting more food as the day progressed. At one point, he and Piper just wandered all over town admiring the beauty of the landscape. The woman at the receptionist counter at the hotel told them about a path on one of the mountains she liked to take when she wanted to relax, and because they felt stressed, they decided to check it out. When they got to the spot the woman had told them about, they stopped to marvel at the beauty of the landscape around them.

"Ok, now I can see why someone would want to live out here," Micky said as he sat on the ground and looked out at the valley below.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Piper said sitting next to him.

"Well, there's one good thing that came out of this whole mess," Micky answered. They sat there enjoying the view for a while until Micky realized he was supposed to be bringing dinner back to the others soon. They walked back to the hotel with a bag full of sandwiches for everyone to eat. Once they had eaten, they all turned on another movie, but before it had even finished, Mike and Peter had passed out on the bed and Davy was pretty close to it. Micky told Davy to just go to bed for the night and pulled the covers up over Mike and Peter. The girls excused themselves to their own room to sleep for the night and by the time Micky had closed the door quietly behind them, Davy was out too. The next morning Micky was woken up by Mike taking another shower. When Mike came out of the bathroom trying to towel dry his hair, Micky smiled at him.

"Feeling better this morning?" Micky asked.

"Loads," Mike said smiling back at him.

"Great," Micky said. "I think I'm gonna try and hitch a ride over to Hanson. Or walk. We need our luggage. Mostly clean clothes."

"I'll go with you," Mike said.

"I think you should be resting a little more," Micky answered.

"I'm fine," Mike said. "I feel like I slept half my life away yesterday. Got more energy than I've had in a while. Head doesn't hurt and I just want to go walk around. It'll do me some good to stretch my legs."

"Alright, if you're absolutely sure you're ok," Micky conceded. There usually wasn't any point in arguing with Mike when he had his mind set to something.

"Positive," Mike answered. After they'd all eaten breakfast, Micky told the others he was planning on getting their luggage from Hanson. Piper and Michelle volunteered to go with and Allison said she'd stay back at the hotel to take care of Peter and Davy.

"I don't need a babysitter," Davy argued.

"Who said anything about a babysitter?" Mike laughed. "She said 'take care'. You both need someone to help you change out your bandages. And get you food. We don't know exactly how long we'll be."

"You still can't walk fully on that leg, Davy," Micky pointed out. "Probably won't be able to for another week or so. I've seen bad burns take months to fully heal if they aren't properly taken care of."

"And Peter needs to stay in bed all day, too," Mike added.

"How come you get to go out?" Peter asked grumpily. Peter had never really liked being cooped up in bed for very long. "Don't you have a concussion?"

"I did," Mike answered. "But it's fine now. Unless of course you guys would like me to stay here and make Micky, Piper and Allison lug all 7 bags of heavy luggage back from Hanson all by themselves."

"Of course not," Peter said. "I just wish I could help too."

"I know you do, buddy," Mike said smiling at him to try and make him feel a little better. "But you need to focus on getting better so we can do that concert and return the favor to those miners." Peter and Davy reluctantly relented knowing their friends were right and they had to stay at the hotel to recover. Once they had cleaned up after breakfast, Micky walked down to the receptionist counter to ask where they might be able to find a ride into Hanson so they could get their stuff out of their still crashed car. She gave them her keys and told them they could borrow her truck so long as they put gas in it. Micky agreed and pulled the truck around to their room so Mike, Piper and Michelle could get in. Mike had grabbed a map and gave Micky directions the entire way. It only took fifteen minutes to get to the town and when they did, Micky pulled the truck in front of their wrecked out rental car.

"I still don't want you to do too much heavy lifting," Micky said to Mike before he could start working. "So why don't you and Michelle go to the mine and find the miners and tell them our plan while Piper and I unload the car?"

"I guess," Mike said clearly feeling a little upset that he was still being treated like an invalid, but deciding not to press it. Micky started unloading the rental car by handing the bags to Piper, who set them in the back of the truck. It only took them about 15 minutes to unload everything and when he'd finished, Micky walked around to the front of the truck. He jumped when he saw one of the miners standing in front of it, looking even more transparent in the daylight.

"Don't do that," Micky said putting his hand over his heart.

"Didn't mean to scare you," the miner said. "It's not like we make a lot of noise when we walk up to someone. Or float. Or however we move around. I'm still not too sure on that."

"I get it," Micky laughed. "Mike went to go look for you in the mines."

"I'm sure my dad will see him," the miner answered.

"Your dad?" Micky asked.

"Yeah, most of us in the town were miners," he answered. "My dad taught me and I was going to teach my son, but…"

"I'm sorry," Micky said knowing what the ghost was feeling.

"I'm not," he said. "My son was too young. He wasn't in the mine. He survived and is living a happy, full life."

"That's good, but you still miss him," Piper said.

"Of course I do," the miner said. "But don't feel sorry for me. We've all come to terms with what happened to us. I'm just glad my son is able to lead a happy life."

"We're going to try and raise the money to help you out," Micky said trying to change the subject. It was still a depressing subject, but at least it was good news they brought. "We just have to get permission from the mayor of Kellogg and some of the other towns nearby."

"That's great, but I actually came to warn you," the miner said.

"Warn us?" Piper asked.

"The Devil is after you," he answered.

"Yeah, we already knew that," Micky said.

"You angered him when you didn't die," the miner said. "He nearly set the mines on fire again."

"Sorry about that," Micky said. "Yeah, he's been trying to make us suffer for a while now. He wants revenge against us. Didn't mean to draw you into it."

"Even if the mines did catch fire, it wouldn't do much to us," the miner answered. "We're already dead. Our bodies mostly decayed. Just bone. But he was talking to a demon; he said he was going to plan something else to throw at you."

"He didn't happen to say what, did he?" Micky asked.

"No," the miner answered. "He said he wasn't sure what his next plan would be, but that he would make sure he wouldn't fail again."

"Well, that's not totally unexpected," Micky said. "This thing with the Gentlemen was the third plan of his to make us suffer."

"I see," the miner said.

"We appreciate the warning though," Micky said.

"The part of him talking to another demon," Piper started, "did you happen to catch that demon's name?"

"No," the miner said. "But he was really tall and wore a hood so low you couldn't see his face. Not sure if that helps or not."

"Not really," Piper said. "It maybe narrows it down to about half the demon population. Thank you, though."

"I wish you luck," the miner said before disappearing. Mike and Michelle came back to the car a few moments later and informed Micky and Piper that they had encountered pretty much the same thing in the mines. On the way back to Kellogg, they tried to figure out what to expect as a next attack, but Piper told them there were so many possibilities the only thing they could really do was remain on guard like they had been. By the time they got back to Kellogg, it was the middle of the afternoon, so while Micky filled the car up with gas, Mike and the girls went to get some food for everyone. They took their lunch back to the hotel and Micky returned the keys to the receptionist and Mike brought the food back to their room. When Micky walked in, Mike was already setting up their lunch and informing the others about what happened in Hanson. About an hour or so after they finished lunch, the phone rang. Knowing it could only be one person, Micky ran over to answer it.

"Hello?" Micky said into the receiver.

"Hello, this is the Mayor Devlin," the voice on the other end said. "I was calling to let you know that I spoke with the neighboring mayors and they have all agreed to chip in. There's a ski resort here in town that has a stage already set up for concerts this time of year since no one can ski."

"That's great!" Micky said. "When are we going to perform?"

"We have to make the preparations and everything so probably a week from tomorrow," Mayor Devlin said. "Saturday's are usually pretty boring around here anyway. You boys can go up there and practice as soon as you are ready. There's a ski lift that will take you to the stage. I've already called the resort and told them to expect you in the next few days to practice."

"Thanks," Micky said, "but we probably want to take a few days to recover a little more."

"Of course, take all the time you need," the mayor said.

"Thank you," Micky said before hanging up. He relayed the information the mayor had given him to his friends, who all got excited that they would be able to help the miners. They spent the next several days relaxing and picking out songs to play. They occasionally would rehearse, with Peter and Davy staying as bed-ridden as Mike and Micky could make them, which was difficult seeing as they were both getting extremely restless. Finally, Davy was able to walk around on his leg without it hurting and Peter was able to move around comfortably, just so long as he didn't make any sudden movements, so they made their way up to the stage to check out where they would be performing. On the way up the mountain, Micky noticed Piper kept waving her hands at the air like she was trying to move something, but nothing was happening.

"What are you doing?" Micky asked. They were sitting in a lift with Mike and Davy who were also looking at Piper strangely.

"Trying to freeze time again," she answered. "I did it once; I want to see if I can do it again. It would be really helpful if I could figure out how I did it and how to do it again."

"How long did it take you to figure out the telekinesis thing?" Mike asked.

"About a month to fully get it down," Piper answered with another flick of her wrist. "But it grows stronger every day."

"What does that mean?" Davy asked.

"It means I can move heavier objects the more I practice and hone my skills," she answered. "Just like you get better at playing music the more you practice."

"Why don't you try freezing something in particular?" Micky asked.

"I am," she said. "There's a spider hanging from the top of this thing. You have to start with something small."

"A spider?" Davy squeaked.

"Are you afraid of bugs?" Piper asked laughing a little.

"No," Davy said clearing his throat and trying to sound macho. "I've been around plenty of bugs. Including the doomsday bug."

"Davy, that wasn't real," Mike said suppressing a smile. Micky started laughing and reached out to try and grab the spider so he could move it closer to Davy.

"Don't do that!" Davy exclaimed when he realized what Micky was trying to do. "I swear I will kick you off this thing!"

"Micky, leave him alone," Mike laughed. They spent the next half hour of the ride up the mountain to the stage trying to encourage Piper in her effort with Davy staying as far away from the spider as he could manage without falling off the lift. Piper finally gave up when they reached the stage and they all climbed out of the lift. The stage was rather large and seemed the perfect setting for a lot of people to attend; it was like a natural amphitheater.

"Isn't this beautiful!?" Peter exclaimed almost jumping with excitement.

"Calm down, Pete," Mike said putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him from jumping. "Don't tear your stitches or you won't be able to play. As it is, I'm thinking about giving Davy the bass and sticking you on the keyboard the entire time."

"I'd be ok with that," Peter said with a very large smile on his face. The boys spent about an hour practicing a set that allowed Peter to sit as much as possible, and with Davy holding the bass, he couldn't dance around as much as he normally would so he wouldn't strain his leg. Once they were comfortable with their set list and the stage, they decided to head back to town for some dinner. The girls all applauded them and told them how good they each thought the boys were. On the way back to town, Piper continued to try and freeze things, but the spider had gone so Micky would throw a piece of crumpled paper at Mike who would catch it without it ever freezing. Piper groaned in frustration as the lift brought them back to town. Micky tried to offer words of encouragement, but he didn't know much about magic and how it worked, so he couldn't say much. She kept trying all night: through dinner, the movie they watched before going to bed, and while Allison tended to Peter and Davy's bandages, to no avail. But Micky had faith she'd figure it out eventually.


	29. Going Home

Author's Note: Sorry it took another week to get this up, but my mom is visiting, so it's taking a little longer to get these typed up(this and the other fic I'm working on). Hope it's worth the wait.

Chapter 29: Going Home

By the time Saturday rolled around, the boys were getting excited for the concert. The town had started to show interest and excitement about it a few days prior and had started coming out of their houses at night to watch the boys wander around town as though they were celebrities or something. On Saturday morning, hundreds of people from neighboring towns began showing up in town to prepare for the show that night. The boys made their way up to the stage by late afternoon to set up and get in one last practice while the girls watched from the front row of seats.

Allison and Michelle were taking turns playing nurse-maid to Peter and Davy, even though Davy insisted he didn't need help anymore. His leg had mostly healed, but they decided it would be best to keep it wrapped when he went outside to keep it from getting infected just in case and left it unwrapped when they were in the hotel room so it could air out. Peter's stomach had done a good job of healing, but he still had the stitches in his stomach so they had decided he wasn't going to play bass for the concert; it was best if he just sat and played the keyboard. Piper had continued trying to freeze things periodically, but hadn't had any success. The mayor had come by to listen to their rehearsal and had seemed very pleased by their performance. He'd informed them the other mayors were either on their way or already in town to see them and take part in the donation drive. The mayor would act as emcee for the evening, enticing people to donate what they could. He had also informed them that the state authorities had found the bodies of the train robbers and they had conducted an investigation that determined they had been lured there and killed by an unknown group of people, most likely a rival gang. The Monkees and the girls all agreed, not wanting to say what the truth was for fear of being taken for fools. They had faith no one would be able to find any evidence to charge anyone with the murders anyway; as it turned out, the bodies of the Gentlemen and the jacket creatures disappeared on their own.

When they had finished rehearsing, the manager of the ski resort brought them a tray of food to eat for dinner before the show which was a couple of hours away yet. So they all sat around backstage talking; Michelle and Allison were telling the Monkees once again how good they thought they were and Piper had started trying to freeze things again. She threw a piece of paper up in the air and waved her hands at it, but for at least an hour nothing happened. Finally, her face lit up and she let out an exclamation of excitement which caused Mike and the others to turn and see the ball of paper floating in midair, frozen in time.

"I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Wow," Micky said and started poking at it. The second he touched it, the paper unfroze and fell to the ground.

"How long should it last?" Davy asked.

"No idea," she answered. "I suppose it depends on how strong I am."

"Try again," Mike said picking up the paper and tossing it into the air again. "Micky, don't touch it."

"Sorry," Micky said laughing. Piper waved her hands at it and nothing happened. She groaned a little and took a deep breath.

"Throw it at me again," she said. Mike grabbed the ball of paper and tossed it at her. This time it froze again and stayed there for about 10 seconds before unfreezing and finishing its trajectory.

"Well, I guess that answers that," Michelle said.

"For now," Piper answered. "If I keep working at it, it should get better and I should be able to freeze more than a piece of paper."

"So why were you able to freeze that thing in the mines?" Allison asked.

"When a major event takes place, a lot of energy pools in the area," Piper said. "Especially if there is a massive loss of life. Each person has a specific amount of energy within them, and when they die, that energy is normally released with their soul and they move on. The energy is usually absorbed back to the earth or absorbed into someone else or it gets trapped. That's what happened in the mines, all the energy from the explosion and loss of life is stuck there. I inadvertently tapped into it making my powers stronger. I've no doubt that's why the Devil lured us there, but he wanted to use the energy surge to his advantage."

"Lucky for us, we could also use it to our advantage," Micky said.

"Keep practicing that power," Mike added. "I have a feeling we're going to need it again soon." Piper nodded her agreement. A few hours later, they were ready to perform. Mike peeked out into the audience and saw it was packed. Mayor Devlin walked out on stage to introduce them and talk about the fundraiser they were trying to do.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said into the microphone. "I know I don't have to tell you all how important the mines are to our economy. And I'm sure most of you know about the tragic events in Hanson so many years ago. What we are trying to do here is raise enough money to restore the mines and the town there. Not just so we can repatriate those bodies and give those honorable men a proper burial, but restoring the town will give our economy a much needed boost. In order to do that, we need to raise a lot of money to help them out. We'll be taking donations all night and through the week and in the meantime, I'd like to introduce to you the men who suggested we do this in the first place. Ladies and Gentlemen, a band from California; the Monkees!" The audience applauded and the Monkees walked on stage with big smiles on their faces. They played music for hours into the night and periodically the mayor would come on stage and talk more about raising money and how much they'd already risen.

By the end of the night, they had raised nearly half the amount of money needed to fix up Hanson. The mayor told them at the end of the night that they would continue doing other fundraisers throughout the week to raise the rest of the money and he had every confidence that they would reach their goal. Because of that, he and the other mayors had already started contracting workers to start repairing the town and the mines. They had picked a spot outside of Hanson to turn into a memorial cemetery for the men who died in the mine and they were choosing contractors for that as well. He also told them that several of the local churches volunteered to do some of the work free of charge to help give the men a proper burial, which would considerably cut down on the cost of doing the work. He also told them that whenever they were ready, he had arranged for them to get a ride to the train station so they could go home.

Before they left for home, they decided to take one more trip to Hanson. They had contacted the rental shop earlier in the week, and they had already sent someone to tow the vehicle away. Since Mike had paid a little extra for insurance when they'd picked up the vehicle, they didn't have to pay much to fix the damage on the car. When they got to Hanson before they left, they told the miners that they were able to get the neighboring towns to work together to fix their town and give them a proper burial. They also made sure to thank the miners for their help once again. They were pleased to see that Peter and Davy were healing so well and pleased to hear that the group would be going home the next day. The Monkees and the girls were also happy that they were able to help the miners, but they wished they could stay a little longer to make sure that the miners were able to move on. But the miners insisted they would be ok no matter what happened and that the group should go home.

So the next morning, the Monkees made their way to the mayor's office where he had told them to meet so he could make the final arrangements for their ride to the train station in Portland. Mike had the tickets ready in his pocket. When they arrived, the mayor made a phone call and told the boys that they would have another rental car ready for them within half an hour. The trip home was very uneventful. There were no train robberies; no annoying, rude, and boisterous passengers; no missing children; and most favorably, no rats. It was a quiet trip and the boys took advantage of that to just relax. They played games and chatted with the girls, who assured them they enjoyed the trip, despite the dangerous first few days. They were not about to break up with them for something that wasn't their fault; and they wanted to do whatever they could to help them out in the future.

When they made it back to Malibu a day and a half later, the boys picked up their car from the station and took Michelle home first. Mike walked her to her door leaving the rest of them in the car to watch as she gave him a rather long kiss good-bye on the front porch. Mike walked back to the car with his cheeks rather red and a goofy smile on his face. Then they drove to LA to drop off Allison. Despite the fact that she had joined in with the others to tease Mike about his good-night kiss, she gave Peter one as well. When they finally got back to Malibu, they dropped Piper off, where it was now Micky's turn to get a long good-night kiss. Once all four boys had gotten the teasing out of their systems, they piled into their own beds and fell asleep.

* * *

Down in the Underworld, the Devil and Arcesso were trying to come up with another plan to make the Monkees suffer. The Devil had spent the whole week fuming over yet another failure. He had killed two demons who dared to laugh at him in his presence, and ever since, no other demons had dared laughed at him. At least in his presence. He had heard rumors that a few other demons were laughing behind his back and he vowed to destroy them if he came across them. Arcesso had tried to calm him down, but that was only making him more and more angry.

"I doubt you can come up with a good plan when you are this angry," Arcesso said. "Perhaps that's why you have failed so much in your recent efforts."

"If you aren't going to help then leave," the Devil snapped.

"I am trying to help you," Arcesso answered smugly. "I'm telling you that perhaps you should take a step back and wait a little longer. I'd suggest you give up, but I doubt you're going to want to do that, so instead, calm yourself down. Do a little reconnaissance and come up with a plan after that. That way, it will also give them time to lower their guard. You'll have a better chance of succeeding that way."

"The witch is the reason for my failure," the Devil sneered. "If it weren't for her little premonition, I would have succeeded."

"So are you going to try to kill her?" Arcesso said. "That won't be easy. I'm not sure you realize just how powerful she is. She _has_ been given a new power."

"Yes, and now would be the best time to kill her before she learns how to use it," the Devil answered.

"But her guard will be up," Arcesso answered. "It will be hard to kill her. You'll have to send a very powerful demon to do it. I don't think very many could do it at all."

"Then I'll have to do it myself," the Devil answered. "Make sure it gets done right."


	30. Near Miss

Author's Note: Sorry it's kinda short. But I hope you like it anyway.

Chapter 30: Near Miss

The next day, Micky walked over to Piper's magic shop to see how she had slept the night before and just to see her. When he got there, however, panic rose in his chest. The front window was smashed and several items were scattered on the ground. He raced inside as quickly as he could and saw the Devil frozen in mid-step hovering over Piper on the ground. She had her hands raised in defense and quickly realized she had managed to freeze the Devil. Micky rushed over and helped her up off the ground. She had a cut on her face and a large gash on her arm, but she didn't seem to be in much pain as she ran for the door pulling Micky behind her.

"You're timing is excellent," she said as they ran out of the shop.

"Should we leave him there like that?" Micky asked glancing back over his shoulder at the still frozen Devil, his face contorted in murderous rage.

"You want to fight him?" Piper asked breathlessly as she steered them towards her car parked on the street.

"Not really," Micky answered. Piper quickly started the car just as the Devil unfroze. Micky watched as he blinked in confusion for a moment and looked around him.

"Safety in numbers," Piper said as she peeled down the street. "We're going back to your house."

"What happened?" Micky asked.

"He attacked me out of nowhere," she answered. "I didn't even see him; he got me from behind. I still managed to slip out somehow, but only barely."

"You're bleeding," Micky said pointing at her arm.

"Yeah, I tried to push him through the window, but he just disappeared once he fell through it and reappeared behind me with the glass as a weapon," she answered. "I'll be ok."

"Are you sure we shouldn't go to the hospital?" Micky said nervously as he got a better look at her arm. "That looks pretty deep."

"I'll be fine," she said again as she turned down onto their street. Micky hadn't even noticed how fast they'd been going, but when they jumped out of the car, the Devil appeared in front of them with a puff of smoke.

"Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?" he sneered. Micky and Piper tried to dodge as he threw a knife at them, but it grazed Piper on the same shoulder that was already injured. She let out a small cry of pain, but pushed back to try and freeze the Devil again, but he'd disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Where'd he go?" Micky asked nervously as they looked around. They didn't have to wait long for the answer as he reappeared in another cloud of smoke behind Piper. Without thinking, Micky pushed Piper as the Devil plunged another knife down towards her. It missed its mark and instead was lodged into Micky's shoulder. Piper quickly turned around as Micky gasped in pain and waved her hands at the Devil sending him flying. He landed in a crumpled heap on the ground and started to get up, but Micky pulled the knife out of his arm and threw it at him. The Devil didn't have time to react and the knife plunged straight into his stomach. He shrieked in agony and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Why do I have the feeling that didn't kill him," Micky mumbled.

"It didn't," Piper answered rushing up to his side. "But it wounded him."

"What the heck is going on out here?" Mike exclaimed throwing the door open. As soon as he saw Micky and Piper injured, his face paled and he rushed over to them.

"We're fine," Piper said pulling Micky toward the front door. "Just get inside before someone sees us."

"I'm thinking you should go to the hospital," Mike said firmly.

"Just trust me," she answered and reluctantly Mike and Micky followed her. Davy and Peter paled when they saw Mike and Piper as well and rushed over to try and help them.

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"The Devil attacked Piper in her shop," Micky said. "We drove here trying to get away and he attacked us out front, but I managed to hurt him pretty bad."

"You guys are both hurt pretty bad," Davy said. "Maybe we should take you to a hospital."

"We'll be fine," Piper answered again. "Tara, can we get a little help please?"

"Who's Tara?" Mike asked confused. Before she could answer, a woman appeared in a swirl of little lights.

"This is Tara," Piper answered before turning to the woman. "I got into a fight and sort of lost. Can you help us please?"

"I'm not supposed to help non-magic people," Tara said looking oddly at Micky.

"Would you just forget about that?" Piper pled. "He's my boyfriend. A demon is trying to kill him; I was protecting him. The rules make exceptions for that, don't they?"

"I suppose," Tara said and moved over to Piper and Micky. She placed one hand over Piper's arm and one hand over Micky's shoulder. A small white light emanated from her hands and he felt a small tingling sensation as the pain went away.

"Thank you, Tara," Piper said.

"Just be more careful who you let in to your circle," Tara said eyeing the rest of them. "You never know who will take advantage of you or try and expose you."

"Yeah, yeah," Piper said. "I know the rules and I promise I'll be more careful, but these boys are all targets for a demon. My responsibility to protect the innocent from demons takes precedence over keeping my secret. And these boys won't say anything to anyone, anyway."

"Just don't say I didn't warn you," Tara said. "They'll tear me a new one if I didn't say anything."

"Got it, thank you, Tara," Piper said. Tara nodded and disappeared in another swirl of lights.

"What was that?" Mike asked staring dumbfounded at the spot where Tara had been standing.

"Remember I told you I had guardians to protect me?" Piper asked and the four boys nodded. "Well, that was her."

"Why couldn't she have healed us in Hanson?" Davy asked.

"There are rules," Piper answered. "Like she said, she's not supposed to heal non-magic people. She made an exception because Micky's shoulder was serious. If Peter's wound had been more serious than it was, or even yours Davy, I would have called for her. But because you are all non-magic and the wounds weren't life threatening at the time, she wouldn't have even come. As it is, she might get in trouble for helping him."

"Oh," Davy said.

"In trouble?" Mike asked. "There are rules for guardians? There's a hierarchy?"

"Yes, there's a group of powerful guardians who make the rules and enforce them," Piper explained. "I don't really know all of how it works or who they are, but supposedly the rules help keep the balance of the universe in order and stuff like that. If guardians went around doing whatever they wanted, they may save someone who wasn't supposed to be save and the balance would be thrown into chaos. Or something like that. It's complicated."

"What about your shop?" Micky asked moving his shoulder in amazement that just a moment ago it was bleeding profusely. "That kind of got destroyed."

"Seeing as how I get attacked by demons on nearly a weekly basis, I have insurance," she said. "All I have to do is call the police and report a break-in."

"If you were attacked," Peter started going pale again, "what about Michelle and Allison?"

"They're fine," Piper said as Mike and Peter rushed to the phone. "He tried to kill me because I've been getting in his way. I'm the reason he keeps failing and if he gets rid of me, the rest of his plans should work. According to him, anyway. But I think he's underestimating you."

"Well, you were the reason we were able to stop Andras and the reason we knew about the Gentlemen," Mike said. "So he's kind of right."

"Yes and no," Piper said. "You all got over being angry at each other on your own and you three fought off the gentlemen. Sure, I helped, but don't sell yourselves short. You're stronger than you think. Besides that, if Micky hadn't shown up when he had, I probably wouldn't have made it out of there alive."

"I don't know, you had him frozen and then ran," Micky shrugged.

"Yes, but you helped me up off the floor, then you pushed me out of the way of his knife out front and managed to throw the knife back at him," she said planting a kiss on his cheek and Micky felt himself blush a little. "You saved me."

"You're sure Allison and Michelle are ok?" Peter asked.

"Positive," Piper answered. "He attacked me first and since Micky wounded him, he'll be cowering in the Underworld until he heals."

"How long will that be?" Micky asked.

"Not really sure, but probably a while," Piper said. "You got him pretty good. Could be months."

"So does that mean we have a break from his attacks?" Mike asked hopefully.

"Probably," Piper said. "And that means that right now would be my best time to try and banish him."

"You know what I just noticed?" Micky asked chuckling a little to himself. "I really don't know why I didn't see it before."

"See what?" Mike asked.

"The Devil looks an awful lot like Mr. Zeckenbush," Micky answered. The three boys were silent for a moment before they started laughing with Micky. Piper was confused, not know who they were talking about.

"You're right, he does!" Davy laughed.

"He also looks like Duce, that security guard who kidnapped me at the art museum," Peter added.

"And Pshaw the Australian adventurer from that island and the not-so-great Oraculo," Mike laughed.

"And Shah-Ku," Davy agreed.

"Who?" Mike asked.

"The guy who tried to con Micky into a gym membership while you were in Texas," Peter answered.

"You're sure all those people weren't the Devil?" Piper asked smirking a little.

"Positive," Mike said. "But they were definitely rotten people."

"They could have been corrupted by the Devil," Piper said. "They could have started to look more and more like him with every evil deed."

"That doesn't explain why the King of Nehudi looked like him, too," Micky said.

"I'll chalk that one up to coincidence," Mike said. "Cause he really was a good guy. Even though he kidnapped Davy, he just wanted what was best for his people and was duped by that fake adviser."

"Let's just hope we don't run across any more look-alikes," Peter laughed. "It seems everyone has a twin out there. Me, Davy, Micky, and the Devil. Only one we haven't met is Mike's look-a-like."

"That might be a little scary," Micky laughed.

* * *

Down in the Underworld the Devil was clutching his wounded stomach, but the fury that boiled inside him was much more painful to him than anything else. He let out a howl of anger and flames circled the entire room and engulfed everything in their wake. Candle holders melted, drapes and books caught fire and disintegrated, and scorch marks scarred the walls. Arcesso appeared in the midst of the flaming turmoil and his cloak was even set on fire, but he waved his hand over it to smother the flames.

"Angry much?" Arcesso asked. The Devil roared at him.

"GET OUT!" he boomed so loudly the walls shook and dirt crumbled from the ceiling.

"You're injured," Arcesso said ignoring him.

"That stupid kid threw my knife at me!" the Devil spat angrily as he pulled it out and threw it across the room.

"You mean to tell me you were injured by a mortal?" Arcesso said trying to hide laughter. "The witch didn't hurt you?"

"She did," the Devil said quickly trying to cover the embarrassment of having been so easily taken down by a mortal. "She attacked me first. He just saw an opening and took it."

"Either way, you were defeated by a mortal," Arcesso said. "And a mere boy at that."

"SHUT UP!" the Devil boomed shaking the walls again. "Didn't I tell you to get out?!"

"You might want to work on your anger issues," Arcesso said. "I've only been trying to help you out of pure amusement for myself. I've been growing quite bored lately and I happen to like seeing humans and witches suffer, but you are doing a miserable job at it because you're letting your anger get in your way. Perhaps this little mishap is what you need. You should take this time to rest and heal and work out every detail of a new plan so it doesn't backfire again."

"Fine," the Devil said through gritted teeth. "Don't just stand there! Get me a healer!"


	31. Everyone's Afraid of Something

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in posting. I bought my first guitar which I've wanted for almost 15 years and am learning how to play and my fingers hurt lol. Anyway, here ya go! Hope you like it!

Chapter 31: Everyone's Afraid of Something

Thanks to the wound Micky was able to inflict upon the Devil, he hadn't made an appearance in months. The Monkees had taken the time to live their lives the way they normally would and hoped that the Devil had actually just given up, realizing that the Monkees could and would fight back every time. And that they would win. But in the back of Mike's mind, he knew this wasn't the case. He steeled himself for an attack every time they went out, but for nearly 7 or 8 months, nothing ever happened. They went out with Allison, Michelle, and Piper; they played gigs and continued to scrape by on their rent; Davy had gone out on several dates, having finally picked back up on his one-girl-a-week pattern; and they hadn't had any problems. So half the time they were on edge, expecting an attack, and the other half of the time they were carefree.

Today was one of those carefree days. The boys were sitting around with the girls laughing and watching TV. Davy's current girlfriend, Kathleen, was over as well. They were watching a bad, old western on TV and every once in a while Micky would imitate the sounds of the guns firing as a way of making fun of the movie. Every time he did, everyone would laugh and say Micky was making the movie better. After the movie ended, they all sat around and talked for a while. Towards the end of the night, Davy walked his girlfriend to the door and leaned in for a kiss good-night before she left, but stumbled back with a shriek when a moth flew in his face.

"You ok, Davy?" Peter asked worriedly while Micky laughed and the girls giggled.

"Did you see how big that thing was?!" Davy exclaimed.

"Davy, it's a moth," Mike said grabbing a paper and shoo-ing it back outside.

"Yes, Mike, but it was a giant deadly killer moth!" Micky laughed.

"Micky, be nice," Mike cautioned. "You're afraid of rats."

"Am not," Micky defended.

"It's ok, Micky," Peter said. "Everyone's afraid of something. You're afraid of rats, and Davy's afraid of bugs. Nothing wrong with that."

"Thanks, Peter," Davy mumbled before turning back to his girlfriend and trying to make himself look a little more manly. "I'm really not afraid of bugs; it just took me by surprise when it flew in my face."

"That's ok, Davy," she giggled and leaned over to kiss him. "I'll see you later."

"Could you guys not pick on me like that in front of a girl?" Davy moaned when he had closed the door behind her.

"Hey, it wasn't us," Peter chuckled. "It was Micky."

"Sorry, Mate," Micky laughed. "Couldn't resist."

"Micky will do better not to make fun of you next time," Mike said. "Won't you, Micky?"

"I'll be a good boy from here on out," Micky said mockingly throwing his hand up in a "scout's honor" motion and trying to suppress a laugh.

* * *

In the shadows outside their home, the Devil lurked. The wound in his stomach had mostly healed, but he wasn't yet at full strength again. He was still able to spy on his foes and gather information about them, and he saw the entire exchange over the innocent little bug when a spark of inspiration went off in his head. He disappeared from the boys' house completely unseen by them and reappeared in the Underworld, startling his minion in the corner.

"I've got it!" the Devil exclaimed when he had entered his chambers. His minion nearly fell over in fright, but quickly righted himself and prepared to do his master's bidding.

"What is it, sir?" he squeaked out.

"I know how to cripple them," the Devil smirked filling with child-like excitement at the prospect.

"How, sir?" the minion asked.

"Fear," the Devil answered.

"Fear, sir?" the minion echoed.

"Yes," the Devil said excitedly, "I couldn't tempt them; I couldn't cripple them with rage; but one thing always makes a man tremble. Every man is afraid of something! Fear has caused nations to topple! Why not a band of stupid musicians?!"

"How are you going to do that, sir?" the minion asked squeakily.

"There is a demon that can do it for me," the Devil answered. "But he is quite the unsociable type. Tends to keep to himself and does what he wants. I just have to figure out how to get him to do what I want. I have to give him something in return."

"What does he want, sir?" the minion asked.

"I don't know, but I will ask him," the Devil answered another smile crossing his lips. "Fetch him for me, minion. Tell me I would like the pleasure of his company."

"Sir, yes, sir," the minion squeaked and disappeared.

* * *

The Monkee's had a gig the next day that lasted well into the late night. By the time they got home, all four were exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep. When they got home, none of them even so much as changed into their sleepwear; they all just crawled into their beds and passed out. When they awoke the next morning, they wandered into the kitchen, still a little tired but hungry. Micky crossed over to the cabinet to grab a box of cereal and some bowls. As soon as he picked the box up off the shelf, a very large rat leapt out of the cabinet towards him. Micky shrieked and threw the box of cereal into the air while stumbling backwards.

"Get it off me!" Micky yelled as he landed on the ground and started rolling around.

"Micky!" Mike, Peter, and Davy exclaimed rushing over to him.

"Kill it!" Micky yelled swinging the box around wildly trying to get the rat.

"Kill what!?" Mike yelled trying to stop Micky flailing around.

"The rat!" Micky yelled back surprised that Mike didn't know what he was talking about. He could almost feel it running around on top of him.

"Micky, stop!" Mike exclaimed and finally grabbed Micky's wrists and put as much weight as he could on top of Micky without hurting him. "There's no rat! There's nothing here! Calm down!" Micky finally stopped flailing and looked around the room. He was sure he'd seen a rat jump out at him from the cabinet, but all he saw now were the worried faces of Peter and Davy staring down at him and the concern filling Mike's face as he still held fast onto Micky.

"There was…" Micky started. "You didn't see it?"

"Micky, you must have been seeing things," Peter tried.

"We're all tired from the gig last night," Davy offered.

"You ok, buddy?" Mike asked tentatively letting go of Micky.

"Yeah, I just…" Micky started. He knew he'd seen it, but maybe Davy and Peter were right; they were all very tired. "I could have sworn…"

"It's ok, Micky," Mike said now helping him up. The cereal was all over the floor now and Micky could hear it crunching under their feet.

"I'm sorry," Micky said walking to the closet where they kept the broom so he could sweep up the mess he made.

"It's ok, Micky," Peter said dashing over to the closet so he could get the broom first. "I'll clean up. You just sit and relax."

"I'm fine, guys," Micky lied. His heart was still racing in his chest. Mike pushed Micky gently over to the table and into the seat, however, so Micky couldn't really argue much more than that.

"Are you sure?" Davy asked. "You look really pale."

"Yeah," Micky said breathing deeply to try and force his heart to slow down. "It was just huge and came out of nowhere."

"I promise you, Micky," Mike said comfortingly while placing a hand on Micky's shoulder, "there was no rat. It was just your imagination running wild. Why don't you go back to bed and get some more sleep?"

"No, I'm fine," Micky answered still trying to tame his heart. Peter moved to clean up the mess and Davy went to grab another box of cereal for all of them.

"Are you sure?" Mike asked concerned.

"Yeah," Micky answered trying to offer a smile to his friend. "It's like you said: I imagined it." They ate their breakfast relatively in silence, but Micky noticed that every once in a while his friends would glance his way as if checking to see if he'd freak out again. When he'd finished, Micky put his bowl in the sink and said he was going to take a shower. He hoped that the hot water would help calm him down a little more. It worked; when he finished he felt a lot better. And much more awake. Nothing else really happened for several hours. They practiced a little, watched TV, and played games. At the end of the night, Mike started to make dinner and a surge of electricity caused the power to suddenly go out. It was dark enough outside where the entire house was filled with darkness. Micky heard Peter groan a little and knew his friend was a little afraid of the dark, though he wouldn't normally admit it.

"Someone turned on the dark," Peter said trying to find some sort of humor in place of his fear.

"That's just great," Mike said with a heavy sigh. "I'll go reset the circuits. I think they're in the basement."

"I know where they are," Davy said. "I'll get them, that way you don't have to trip and fall trying to find them."

"Thanks, Davy," Mike said. "I think the batteries are all dead in the flashlights we have."

"Probably," Micky said. "I think I forgot to pick those up last time we went to the store."

"I'll hurry," Davy said as he slipped down to the basement.

"I hope he's careful," Peter said. "It can be very disorienting in the dark. Even if you know your way around."

"Yeah, but he'll be fine, Pete," Micky said trying to make his friend feel better. Within a few seconds, the lights came back on and Peter breathed a sigh of relief. The relief was very short-lived, however, as they heard a shriek and a loud crash from downstairs. All three boys took a second to exchange worried glances before running down to the basement to see what had happened. Micky reached the bottom first and stopped dead in his tracks for a second, but long enough to have Mike and Peter slam into him. Davy was curled into a corner and shaking very visibly as though something had terrified him.

"Davy, what happened!?" Micky exclaimed rushing over to him with Mike and Peter in tow. "Are you ok, man?" Micky reached out and tried to touch Davy's shoulder as a way of comforting him, but no sooner had Micky's hand touched Davy's shoulder than he jerked back away as if Micky's fingers had been hot pokers.

"Get away!" Davy shrieked and started swatting at Micky.

"Davy!" Micky yelled over Davy's terrified yells. Now he knew how Davy, Mike and Peter felt that morning when he had freaked out. "Davy, it's us! Micky, Peter, and Mike! Calm down!"

"Micky?" Davy echoed and looked at Micky for the first time. Then he looked over Micky's shoulder at Mike and Peter and softened.

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"I…I," Davy stumbled over his words still a little scared. "Spiders and…and…flying…"

"Davy, did a bunch of bugs attack you?" Micky asked. He now thought it was rather odd that three of them had been scared in one day, although Peter not nearly as much as Davy and Micky.

"They were huge," Davy said.

"Davy, there's nothing down here," Mike reasoned.

"I swear there was!" Davy exclaimed. "Lots of them! They swarmed all over me!"

"Anyone else think this is weird?" Peter asked.

"Weird how?" Mike asked.

"Well, first Micky thinks he's attacked by a giant rat, then Davy thinks he's attacked by a swarm of bugs," Peter explained.

"I know I was," Davy said.

"Well, there's nothing down here now," Mike said.

"I'm not crazy!" Davy defended.

"No one is saying you are," Micky said. "I agree with Peter. Something weird is going on."

"Or you two are just really tired," Mike said.

"Not when it's 3 out of 4 of us getting scared," Micky argued now helping Davy to his feet.

"Three?" Davy asked. "Which one of us is the third?"

"Peter," Micky explained. "He's afraid of the dark."

"No he's not," Davy said.

"Yes he is, he just doesn't like to admit it any more than you want to admit you're afraid of bugs," Micky said. "Or that I'm afraid of rats."

"Are you afraid of the dark, Peter?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Peter answered a little shamefully. "I know it's stupid, but I've been that way since I was a kid. Just never learned to overcome it."

"How did you know that and we didn't, Micky?" Mike asked.

"I just did," Micky answered. "Just something I picked up on over the years but never brought it up."

"We've been in the dark before," Davy pointed out.

"Yeah, but you guys were with me so I knew I'd be ok and I tried to laugh," Peter said.

"Good point," Mike said. "I still think it's just a coincidence, though. Let's go upstairs."

"Uh-huh," Micky said following Mike upstairs. "Still, what are you afraid of?"

"Nothing," Mike said.

"Oh come on, Mike," Peter pushed. "Everyone's afraid of something."

"Not me," Mike said. They all followed Mike upstairs and Micky had a feeling that none of them believed Mike. He liked to be the most responsible out of the group and sometimes that meant a lot of sacrifices on his part. But to Micky, this wasn't a sacrifice; this was just Mike trying to be strong for the rest of the group when he didn't have to.

"You don't have to pretend for us," Peter said when they'd all gotten upstairs.

"I'm not," Mike answered walking over to the sink to finish cooking dinner for them. "I'm not afraid of…"

"Mike?" Micky pressed when he realized Mike had stopped dead in his tracks inches from the sink. His face was slack and pale; he looked terrified. Micky rushed over to the sink and peered inside to try and see what Mike was seeing, but there was nothing there.

"Mike, you ok?" Peter asked also peering into the sink.

"Mike, there's nothing in the sink," Micky said trying to ease his mind.

"Mike, what is it?" Davy pushed.

"Ok…maybe you guys were right," Mike finally said softly. "You sure there's nothing in the sink?"

"Nothing," Micky confirmed. "What do you see?" Mike closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath before opening them again. When he did, he looked in the sink again and relaxed a little.

"Mike?" Peter asked again.

"Snake," Mike said. "Very big snake."

"You're afraid of snakes?" Davy asked. "You're from Texas! There's dozens of snakes in Texas!"

"Yes, and a lot of them are very deadly," Mike explained with a sigh. "Especially big pythons that can crush you in seconds flat just by wrapping themselves around you."

"Ok, so something weird is going on," Peter said.

"I have a feeling I know who's behind it," Micky said. None of them responded; they all knew who was behind it. And they all had the feeling that this was only just beginning.


	32. The Demon of Fear

Author's Note: Little short, but still a goodie. At least I think it is. :D

My heart goes out to anyone affected by the bombings. I know I have a friend who doesn't live too far from Boston and frequently makes trips there, so I texted her and luckily she was at work and away from the danger. I can never seem to understand why people commit such senseless acts of violence against the innocent. I hope you are all safe and that all your families and friends are safe.

Chapter 32: The Demon of Fear

"Ok, so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this is just the previews," Mike said worriedly. "The main attraction has yet to start."

"I don't know if I understand what's even happening," Davy said. "Is the Devil bringing our fears to life or something?"

"Something like that," Peter said. "Cause the only one of our fears that really came to life was mine. The bugs and the snake and the rat were all in your heads."

"I don't think the Devil has the power to bring fears to life," Micky said remembering something he read in a book in Piper's library. "Even if they were just illusions. There is a demon of fear named Barbas who can actually do that and he kills you with your own fear. But from what I read, he only attacks witches and he only attacks once every 13 centuries for 24 hours on Friday the 13th. He's trapped in the Underworld the rest of the time."

"So how did he get out?" Davy asked.

"Maybe the Devil is somehow using his powers," Mike suggested.

"You underestimate me, boys," said a voice that made all of them jump. Standing at the top of the stairs was a man clad in all black with graying hair and a smug look on his face. He spoke with a sense of drama and jubilation that gave Micky the creeps. "I can come and go as I please. I cannot be chained anymore. But you are right about one thing…" Barbas disappeared before finishing his sentence and all four boys started frantically searching for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Micky's heart nearly stopped as Barbas's voice emanated from the very air around them and every window in the house suddenly became ensconced in bricks, trapping them inside their own house. "The show has only just begun."

"What's happening?!" Davy cried.

"Calm down, Davy," Mike said though he sounded just as scared as the rest of them. "That's what he wants. He wants us to be scared. As long as we aren't scared, nothing can happen to us."

"We're trapped!" Peter exclaimed as he ran to try the doors in the house.

"Peter, try to relax!" Mike yelled.

"I don't think yelling is going to help," Micky said trying to fight his own feeling of fear and dread.

"Micky, did you read anything else in that book of Pipers about how to defeat him?" Mike asked ignoring the comment.

"No," Micky answered searching his memory desperately for a solution.

"Ok, so we just have to remain calm," Mike said as he started taking deep breaths.

"How do we get out?" Davy asked.

"We find a way to defeat him," Mike answered.

"How do we do that when he can literally summon our fears?" Peter asked.

"They were illusions, right?" Micky said trying to push his own fear out of his voice. "So we just have to remember that. They weren't real. The rat, the snake and the bugs. They weren't real."

"The dark was real," Peter argued.

"Ok, yes," Mike said. "But you said it yourself: We were with you so you knew you'd be safe. We just have to remember that."

"What else is everyone afraid of?" Micky asked. "We should be prepared. No lying and no trying to be manly and brave. It's just us here. Nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about."

"I can't think of anything else," Mike answered.

"Are you sure?" Peter pressed.

"I don't know," Mike answered. "I've never really thought that much about it."

"Well, now's the time cause we're all about to come face to face with whatever it is we're afraid of," Micky said.

"I'm afraid of clowns," Peter said. All three looked at him in shock.

"What about when we went to the circus?" Mike asked.

"That was different," Peter answered. "He wasn't wearing the wig and the nose and all the make-up and stuff. And I was a little scared, but more scared of the knife thrower than anything else."

"_You_ were scared of him!?" Davy exclaimed. "_I'm_ the one he was throwing knives at!"

"Well, I was still scared," Peter said.

"Ok, Peter's afraid of clowns," Micky said trying to move the conversation along. "What else?"

"When I was a kid we were in a bad tornado," Mike said. "I sometimes get scared when I hear thunder rolling now. For a split second I think it's another tornado and then I remember I'm in California."

"Yeah, we just have earthquakes here," Davy added. "I'm always a little scared when those hit. Never felt them in England."

"I think everyone's afraid of earthquakes," Peter said.

"I'm not," Micky said. "I grew up here. I'm used to them. They happen every day, but most of the time we don't feel them. There are no clowns anywhere near us and tornados don't happen in California."

"What about you, Micky?" Mike asked.

"I don't think there's much else I'm afraid of," Micky said. Right as Micky said this, thunder boomed outside the window so loud the house shook. Mike jumped into the air and gasped in fright.

"It's fine, Mike," Peter said. "It's not real."

"But I heard it, too," Davy said.

"We all did, Davy," Micky added. "But it's just Barbas trying to scare us. We need to remember that. Keep our heads clear and focused." As soon as Micky said that, thunder roared one more time over the house and the ground began to shake which also knocked the lights out.

"Ok, not illusions anymore," Davy said sounding terrified.

"Doesn't mean they're real," Micky said over another crack of thunder.

"Micky's right," Mike said though his voice sounded very squeaky. "Not real. There are no tornados in California. It's not real." Mike silently kept repeating that like a mantra until finally the thunder stopped. Davy did the same thing and the floor stopped shaking. Now they were just left in complete darkness. Micky walked over to Peter and held his hand.

"Listen to me, Peter," Micky said firmly trying to snap him out of his own fear. "It's fine. There's nothing to be afraid of. Mike, Davy and I are here and as long as we're together, nothing can get you. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just like when you close your eyes."

"I'm not afraid," Peter whispered.

"That's it, Peter," Mike said joining Micky and placing a hand on Peter's shoulders. "Don't be afraid. We're here."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Peter," Davy added.

"I'm not afraid," Peter said again. "I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid." A few times after he said it, the lights came back on.

"Ok, as long as we fight our fears, we'll be fine," Mike said breathing a sigh of relief. "We just have to remember they aren't real."

"What else is he planning on throwing at us?" Davy asked. "There really isn't anything else I'm afraid of."

"I don't know, Davy," Micky said. "But whatever it is, we have to be ready for it. We stick together and remember that whatever he decides to throw at us, we have to fight it. We have to know it's not real."

* * *

"That's it?" the Devil asked Barbas from the shadows outside the Monkee's house. "That's the best you can do? A few little tiny fears?"

"You said you wanted me to drag out the show," Barbas said. "Make it last as long as possible. That's what I'm doing. You start with the small stuff first. Then you make your way up to the grand finale."

"What grand finale?" the Devil asked growing angry. "They just said they aren't afraid of anything else!"

"Most people don't even know what they're deepest fears are until their faced with it," Barbas chuckled. "But if you're unhappy, I can always leave." Barbas raised his arms in dramatic fashion as though preparing to leave, but the Devil stopped him. He wanted to let this play out.

"No," the Devil said quickly. "I want them to suffer."

"Then let me do what it is I do," Barbas sneered finally showing a hint of anger. "And do not question me or my abilities. Or have you forgotten…" Barbas raised a hand and passed it in front of him as though her were reading a book. His hand glowed white and a shadow was cast across the Devil's face as his hand moved. "…I can summon your deepest fears, too?" Suddenly Mike, Micky, Davy and Peter surrounded him and were laughing at him.

"He thinks he's so tough," Mike laughed.

"He can't even deal with a few boys," Micky laughed.

"What a buffoon," Davy laughed.

"Such a miserable failure," Peter laughed.

"Shut up," the Devil sneered knowing in the back of his mind this was an illusion, but still feeling pissed off nonetheless. The boys stopped laughing for a second and stared at him.

"Why don't you make us?" Davy asked.

"Cause he can't," Peter answered.

"He can't do anything to us," Micky added.

"I doubt he could even hurt a fly," Mike said laughing again.

"Enough!" the Devil yelled and the boys disappeared.

"That was a warning, my slithery little friend," Barbas smiled. "Cross me again and you'll get the full dose of my power."

"Fine," the Devil answered angrily. "Do your thing, but remember: I don't want them to die just yet."

"I can't make any promises when it comes to fear," Barbas answered. "When faced with their biggest fear, people's hearts tend to stop."

"Just make sure to stop the illusion before it gets to that point," the Devil said.

"I'll try," Barbas said with a smile.


	33. The Fear of Being Alone

Author's Note: Hope you like it. I can't quite capture the wonderfulness that is Barbas, but if you want to see just how amazing he is, watched Charmed. He's in several episodes and is my all-time fave demon from that show because he has just such a dramatic flair that only that actor (Billy Drago) can portray. :D

Chapter 33: The Fear of Being Alone

Davy and the others tried all the windows and doors in the house, but none of them budged. Anger replaced the fear Davy felt and he grabbed a pot off the stove and threw it at the back window hoping to at least shatter it. Unfortunately, it just bounced off the glass and hit the floor with a loud clang. Davy sunk into a chair desolately, unsure of what else to try.

"Can I ask what that was going to accomplish if it had worked?" Micky asked with a little clip of annoyance in his tone. Davy didn't blame him; Micky had been standing right next to the window and if Davy had missed, he would have been beaned with the pot. "I mean, the bricks are outside the window. Even if the window broke, how would we have gotten past the bricks?"

"I don't know," Davy answered. "I just wanted to try something."

"I really don't think we're going to be able to get out of here that easily," Peter said sitting in another chair and burying his face in his hands.

"Phone doesn't work either," Mike said putting down the receiver after having tried to make a call.

"We're completely cut off," Micky said.

"Which is just what he wants," Mike answered. "The only way we're getting out of here is to fight him."

"How do we do that?" Davy asked. "He's a demon. He can disappear in an instant and he has magical powers."

"I don't know," Mike answered trying to take charge of things like he always did. Davy had to admit that it did make him feel a little more at ease. "But we have to try. Micky was able to wound the Devil, right? We killed those other demons in Hanson, right? I say we arm ourselves with our best weapons."

"Then what?" Peter asked. "He's not going to attack us directly. And we can't go attack him because we don't even know where he is."

"I know it sounds bad," Mike answered taking a deep breath, "but we have to wait for him to throw whatever he's going to throw at us and fight that."

"Fight our fears," Micky said. "We already have fought our fears and he didn't go away."

"Micky, try and remember everything you read in that book about Barbas," Mike said. "Davy and Peter, go look around for anything we can use to defend ourselves."

"Why can't we use the knives in the kitchen?" Davy asked not really wanting to leave his friends.

"We can, but we may need more of an arsenal than that," Mike answered.

"What are you going to do?" Peter asked as he and Davy stood up.

"I'm going to work with Micky to devise a plan of counter-attack," Mike answered.

"I'll look downstairs," Davy said as he scurried off to the bedroom he shared with Peter first. When he walked in, he started searching through the closet first. There really wasn't much of anything in there besides clothes and hangers. He turned around and nearly jumped out of his shoes when he saw Kathleen standing there.

"Kathleen?" Davy asked walking towards her. "How did you get in here?"

"It's over, Davy," she said.

"What?" Davy asked taken aback.

"It's over between us, Davy," she answered. "I need someone with a little more substance. You're nothing but a pretty face, Davy. But it was fun while it lasted."

"What are you talking about?" Davy asked confused and shocked. It felt like she had driven a hot knife through his chest.

"She's talking about you being too much of a child," said another voice behind him. Davy whirled around and saw Princess Bettina standing there.

"What the-" Davy sputtered, now clearly confused. He could swear no one was in this room when he'd first walked in. And Princess Bettina wasn't even in America anymore for that matter.

"Don't you get it yet, Davy?" said a third voice. Davy turned and saw Princess Collette standing there looking at him with disgust. "You're a boy. I picked you as my husband based solely on your face and then when I got to know you and your friends, I chose Peter over you."

"You're just a pretty face, Davy," said Fern now standing there as well. "That's why my mother picked you to stand next to me. A pretty face. That's it."

"No, I'm not," Davy argued. "What's going on here?"

"And here I thought Peter was the stupid one," Vanessa said also appearing out of thin air.

"Peter's not stupid," Davy argued. "And neither am I."

"The only reason I dated you is because you got my father to agree to even allow me to date," Leslie added laughing a little.

"I get it," Davy said trying to back toward the door and closing his eyes hoping they would go away. "You're all just illusions. None of you are real."

"Did you really think they were?" said another woman who's voice sent chills down Davy's spine and anger to spike in his heart. He snapped his eyes open and saw that the other girls he'd dated were in fact gone, but they were replaced by Ariel. The one woman he despised the most. The woman who the Devil had told to play with his heart to mess with his friends. "Of course they're illusions, David. They're pieces of your mind trying to tell you the truth."

"The truth?" Davy asked scathingly.

"Yes," she answered smugly. "Do you know why it was the Devil picked you as the love-sick fool? Because you are. He knew how easy it would be to pull at those little heartstrings of yours and get you wrapped around my little finger. And it was. Easiest thing I've done in my entire life. Because you are nothing more than a child. You are a baby in men's clothing. And because of that, every woman you will ever fall in love with will leave you."

"I don't believe you," Davy snapped. "You aren't real either."

"I am," she answered. "In a way. I represent what you are so afraid of, David. You're biggest fear. And you know what? You have every reason to fear me, because everything I've said and you've seen is true. You're a play-thing for girls. Just a piece of eye candy they'll throw away when they're bored of you. You will end up alone and miserable. And you know that."

"No," Davy said. He knew this was an illusion; a trick being played on him by Barbas, but somehow he couldn't push the fear away.

"Come on, David," she sneered. "Don't be an idiot. Think about it. What's the longest relationship you've ever had? Even your friends tease you about it. You fall in love too fast and push her away because of your childishness. You know that's true; you can't deny it."

"I…" Davy said. He knew he should probably just leave and run away, but he couldn't move.

"You know I'm right," she said walking closer to him. "That's what you're most afraid of, David. You'll end up alone and miserable. No one will ever love you. That's why you cling so desperately to it. That's why you need it. That's why it was so easy for me to toy with you. You will be alone for the rest of your life. Just bouncing from girl to girl endlessly looking for something you'll never be able to have. What a miserable life you'll lead. I really feel sorry for you." Davy fell to the ground on his knees. The little voice in his head told him not to listen to her, but he just couldn't. After all, she was right about his fear of ending up alone. He'd just never thought much about it before. But now that he was forced to face it, he knew it was true. He was terrified that he would never find someone to spend the rest of his life with and that he would be alone and miserable for the rest of his life.

* * *

Peter finished searching Mike and Micky's room and came back down with a baseball bat he'd found shoved under a pile of clothes in the closet. He noticed the door to the room he shared with Davy was closed, but shrugged thinking maybe Davy just needed some time to sort things out on his own. He set the bat down on the table next to Mike and Micky where they were working out possible plans of attack. Peter moved on to the closet to look for other weapons. After about half an hour he'd dug through the hall closet and bathroom and had come up short. The only thing he found that could remotely be used as a weapon was a ski pole from the set he'd given Mike for Christmas once, but he figured that was too thin to cause much damage and would break easily.

"Has Davy been in the room this whole time?" Peter asked coming back to the table where Mike and Micky were still trying to formulate a plan.

"Yeah," Mike said absently. Then something seemed to click in both his and Micky's heads at the same time.

"We should make sure he's ok," Micky said as all three of them jumped up and made their way to the door quickly. Mike knocked on the door, but they didn't hear anything on the other side. The three of them exchanged a worried look and Mike pushed the door open. Peter didn't see anything at first, but then noticed that in a corner of the room Davy was sitting curled up like he had been in the basement. Peter's first thought was that he'd been attacked by more bugs, but his face was different. There wasn't just fear there; there was something else that Peter couldn't really figure out.

"Davy?" Mike asked as they approached Davy carefully. Davy didn't respond nor did he even look at them. "Davy, what happened? Are you ok?" Still Davy didn't respond.

"Davy, man, talk to us," Micky pled as he and Mike knelt down next to Davy. "What happened?"

"I…" Davy finally started. "I…saw them."

"Saw who?" Mike asked.

"The girls I've dated," Davy answered.

"What are you talking about?" Micky asked.

"They told me the truth," Davy answered.

"About what?" Mike asked. "Davy, what in the world happened?"

"They said that I was a boy," Davy said sounding like he was near tears. "That they'd only gone out with me because I was a pretty face. I had no substance and because of that, I'd end up alone and miserable. And they were right."

"What!?" Mike cried in disbelief. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Davy!"

"Davy, is that what you're afraid of?" Micky asked. "That you're gonna end up alone?"

"I never really put it into words like that," Davy answered finally looking at them with his eyes filled with tears. "That's my deepest fear; I'm nothing more than a pretty face. And that's why I can never have what you guys have with Allison, Michelle and Piper."

"Davy, that's crazy," Peter said joining Mike and Micky next to Davy. "It's Barbas trying to mess with you. It was just an illusion. No one is in here."

"I know they were illusions," Davy answered quietly. "But that doesn't change that what they said was true. It was things I was already thinking but didn't know I was thinking. Or couldn't admit."

"Davy, that's insane," Mike said firmly. "There's no way that what they said was true. You can't listen to them."

"But-" Davy started but was cut off by Micky.

"Tell us exactly what they said, Davy," Micky said.

"They said they only went out with me because I was a pretty face," Davy answered.

"You're so much more than that, Davy!" Peter argued. "You can't tell me you don't know that."

"They said I had no substance," Davy said.

"That's bull," Mike answered firmly. "You are a great person. You're funny; you're talented; you're smart. Need I go on? Cause I can go on all day."

"He's right, Davy," Micky said. "You're a great person and anyone would be lucky to be with you."

"You're going to fall in love," Peter added. "And that person is going to love you back. It just may take a while."

"I…" Davy started again, but stopped and lowered his face back into his knees.

"Besides, who cares if you never find someone to love?" Micky said causing Peter and Mike to look at him as though he'd gone crazy and Davy looked up at him questioningly, too. "I know that isn't true, but what if it is? You'll always have us. You'll never be alone. And we're all gonna make sure you're never miserable."

"He has a point," Peter said.

"We can't guarantee you're going to get married in a month, or a year, or five," Mike added. "But what we can guarantee is that no matter what happens, we will always be here by your side. Whenever you need us."

"We aren't going anywhere, Davy," Micky said. Davy looked up at them and smiled. Mike wiped the tears off Davy's face and pulled him into a large hug that Peter and Micky joined soon after burying Davy underneath them.

"Thanks guys," Davy said. "I feel better now. I'm not afraid anymore." As he said it, Peter almost felt as though the pressure inside the house lessened. Mike helped Davy to his feet and the four of them walked back out into the living room.

"Look!" Micky said rushing over to the window in the alcove where they set up their instruments for practice. The three of them looked at the bricked up window and were elated to see that a small cluster of the bricks had disappeared allowing the sunlight to stream through the window. "That's how we get out of here! Davy just overcame his biggest fear and some of the bricks disappeared. So all we have to do to get rid of the rest of them and get out of here is overcome our deepest fears."

"How do we do that?" Peter asked. "A few minutes ago we thought we'd already done that."

"There must be something else we're afraid of," Micky answered. "Our deepest fears that we don't even realize. Just like Davy didn't realize his biggest fear was ending up alone. We have to figure out what that is and deal with it like Davy did."

"I don't know what my biggest fear is," Peter said.

"Neither do I," Micky admitted.

"Something tells me we are all going to find out," Mike said. "He's gonna throw our deepest fears at us and then we can overcome them."

"Then I say we face them head on," Micky said.

"Together," Peter added.

"Always," Mike answered with a smile.


	34. Failure

Author's Note: Mike, Micky, and Peter just announced a second tour! SQUEEEEE! So going because they are going to be performing at a theatre right up the street from my apt! Since I don't have to drive to another state, get a hotel, etc, so gonna get better tickets, bring my camera this time to get better shots than with my crappy cell phone and video! Woooooo! So excited! Jumping up and down with glee! Can't wait till August when they come to Mesa! *bouncing off the walls*

Chapter 34: Failure

"Ok, so what happens next?" Davy asked. "If we have to be alone for these illusions to start before we face them, do we separate?"

"I don't know," Peter said hesitantly. "I don't like the idea of separating."

"But Davy has a point," Micky pointed out. "Do we have to be alone to confront our fears? If we stick together, we'll never get out of here."

"I don't think I like the idea of separating either," Mike said, "we have no idea what we are going to be faced with, and it will probably be pretty traumatic. But on the other hand, Micky's right. If we don't face our fears, we're never getting out of this." Mike sat down with a heavy sigh. He really didn't know what to do and everyone always looked to him for answers in situations like this. Right now, however, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was one thing for him to sit and say he would go try and face his fears on his own, but he couldn't make Micky or Peter do that. He wanted them to be shielded from any pain or harm.

_You can't win, Mike_, a little voice inside his head whispered. _This is one situation where you can't help them._

Mike's mind raced trying to look for an answer, but knew the little voice in his head was right. He couldn't get them out of this without exposing them to pain. If he could, he knew he'd face their fears for them in an instant, but he knew it didn't work that way. They'd each have to do it separately and he'd just make sure he was there to help them when they needed it. He looked up to talk to the others, but suddenly found himself sitting in his room. And he was alone. He jumped up and ran to the door wondering how he ended up in here and where his friends were. He tried to open the door, but as soon as his hand reached for the door, it bricked over.

"No!" Mike cried and started pounding against the bricks.

"All you're doing is destroying your hands," said a voice behind him. He whirled around and saw him staring at himself.

"What did you do with my friends?" Mike demanded of the illusion.

"Me?" it answered. "I did nothing to them. I'm not real."

"You're an illusion of Barbas's," Mike answered narrowing his eyes. "I was asking Barbas."

"Barbas isn't here," the illusion answered. "All I am is a projection of what's inside your head."

"No, you're not," Mike answered. "You tried the same trick with Davy and it didn't work."

"I told you," the illusion answered. "I didn't do anything to them. And this isn't a trick."

"Ok, so you're going to tell me what my greatest fear is," Mike answered growing impatient and wanting to get to his friends. "Bring it on so I can deal with it and help my friends."

"Well, aren't you cocky?" the illusion laughed. "What makes you think you'll even be able to help them?"

"I know I can," Mike answered through gritted teeth.

"I think you're letting your anger cloud your judgment," the illusion answered.

"Are you going to try and scare me or not?" Mike demanded.

"It doesn't work that way," the illusion answered with a smile.

"Then let me out of here," Mike demanded.

"No one is stopping you from leaving," the illusion answered. Mike felt like he was ready to explode.

"What are you talking about!?" he yelled. "The door is bricked over!"

"No it's not," the illusion laughed and then disappeared. Mike growled in anger and turned to look at the door again. The bricks were gone and the door had opened a little bit. Only thinking of his friends, Mike rushed through the door, pushing the thought that this might be a trap out of his mind. He ran down the stairs as fast as he could calling out their names as he went. Down in the living room he found Micky huddled in the corner and rocking back and forth. Mike rushed over to try and help him and saw Micky's face was paler than he'd ever seen it before.

"Micky, what happened?" Mike asked reaching out to grasp Micky's shoulder comfortingly. Micky jerked away and looked at him with cold eyes.

"Don't touch me!" Micky yelled.

"I'm sorry," Mike answered not understanding why Micky suddenly seemed so angry. "Micky, what happened?"

"You said you'd be there for us!" Micky yelled. "You said you'd take care of us!"

"I…" Mike said completely taken aback. "I don't know what happened, Micky. I was working out a plan and then somehow I was in my room. I don't know what's going on here."

"You abandoned us, Mike," Davy said behind him. Mike whirled around to see Davy standing there with an angry look on his face. "Peter's downstairs too scared to even talk. And Micky's been in that corner for over an hour."

"What?" Mike asked. He hadn't been in the room for that long; how could any of this be happening?

"You told them to man up and face their fears," Davy answered. "You told them they'd be fine. That you'd make sure nothing happened to them. You didn't. You left when things got too intense."

"I didn't," Mike argued. "I don't know what you're talking about, Davy. Last thing I know we were down here figuring out what to do and next thing I know I'm in my room talking to an illusion of myself."

"Just admit you ran away because you couldn't handle it," Davy snapped.

"No," Mike argued. "That's not what happened."

"Yes, it is, Mike," Davy snapped. "You just don't want to admit it. You failed us. You let us down."

"No, I…I…," Mike stammered, still unsure of just what had happened. But one thing was clear to him: he had let his friends down; he had failed them. "I didn't mean to leave you guys. I wanted to protect you. I don't know what happened."

"Well, you didn't protect us," Davy spat. "You left. I'm going to go try and help Peter. You can just stay here and do what you do best: nothing." Davy spun on his heel and went down into the basement. Mike knew he should try and follow, but he couldn't move.

_You can't even protect them, _the little voice in his head said again. _No matter how hard you try, you will always fail. You will always let them down. They are better off without you. _

Mike turned and looked at Micky who had gone back to rocking back and forth with his head buried between his knees. The voice in his head was right. He didn't need to understand what was happening to know that he had let his friends down. He had failed them. He had tried so hard to help them, but it didn't work. Mike sunk to the ground on his knees feeling completely defeated. If he couldn't even help his friends, what was he good for? He was nothing but a failure. And he always would be.

* * *

Davy wasn't sure what, if anything, he could do to help his friends. He still felt a little fear within him, but he also felt loved. Truly loved by his friends. He knew he mattered to them and that's what filled him with happiness and hope. But now he was scared for them. They had to go through what he'd just been through in order for them all to be freed from this situation. Davy had asked his friends what they were going to do next, knowing that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be easy. But they had helped pull him from the depths of fear and despair, and he vowed he would do the same thing for them. Peter said he didn't really want to separate, but Micky said he thought they might have to. Now everyone looked to Mike for the answer.

"I don't think I like the idea of separating either," Mike said, "we have no idea what we are going to be faced with, and it will probably be pretty traumatic. But on the other hand, Micky's right. If we don't face our fears, we're never getting out of this." Davy felt bad for Mike as he watched him lower himself desolately into a chair with a sigh. They all waited patiently for Mike to come up with something. Davy then realized how much they really relied on Mike and thought that maybe it wasn't really fair of them to make him shoulder their burdens. He was about to say something when suddenly Mike disappeared.

"What the…" Micky said as he, Davy and Peter all began looking around for Mike.

"This doesn't look good," Peter mumbled.

"Mike?" Davy yelled. He turned back to his friends with panic rising in his chest and realized suddenly Micky had disappeared, too.

"Micky!" Peter exclaimed when he realized it. He didn't have much more time to react before Peter disappeared, too.

"Not good," Davy breathed and started running around the house to try and find his friends. He realized as soon as he didn't disappear that Barbas must have purposely separated them somehow so they would be alone when faced with their deepest fears and since Davy had already overcome his deepest fear, he was left alone. Davy pulled on the door to the room he shared with Peter, but it didn't budge. He grabbed on with both hands and tugged, but it still didn't open. He gave up and tried the door to the basement and had the same effect. No matter how much he tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. He turned around to run and try another door but froze in his tracks when he was Barbas standing there.

"I must congratulate you, David," Barbas smiled. "I had thought that it would take much longer for you to overcome your fear."

"What did you do to my friends?" Davy asked trying to put on his bravest face.

"They seemed eager to enjoy the show," Barbas smiled.

"This is funny to you, isn't it," Davy sneered with anger boiling inside him.

"I do enjoy this, yes," Barbas laughed. Davy couldn't hold his anger in anymore; he charged at Barbas ready to attack him. He didn't care if Barbas was stronger than him and could disappear; all Davy cared about was that Barbas was enjoying seeing him and his friends suffer. Davy would fight with everything he had to defend his friends and he didn't care if he got hurt in the process. Sure enough, Barbas disappeared just before Davy would have crashed into him causing Davy to completely lose his balance and crash into the table. He felt pain erupt through his whole body as the table and chairs fell on top of him.

"Coward," Davy muttered as he ignored the pain and pushed himself up to look around for Barbas again.

"You think that you can so easily hurt me?" Barbas laughed though Davy couldn't see where he was. "You think you can win against me?"

"I overcame my fear," Davy snarled. "I'd say that's winning. Come out and show yourself."

"You overcame _**a**_ fear," Barbas said dramatically. "But you have not overcome _fear_. No man can every truly overcome fear. It is inherent in everyone. It's part of what makes you human. Should a man overcome one, another shall replace it. You cannot have any other emotion without fear. It's what drives you. Fear of death pushes one to live. You have not beaten me, boy. You have merely transgressed to another state. I cannot be conquered. Fear is an inevitability of life. But for now… I will leave you alone. It is to your friends now to face their fears and whether they live or die, I shall still enjoy tasting their fear."

"Leave my friends alone!" Davy yelled but got no response. Davy ran back over to the door to his and Peter's room and pulled on the door as hard as he could but it was as if the door were actually part of the wall; it wouldn't even budge an inch. Out of frustration, Davy pounded his fist against the door somehow knowing that Peter was in there. He couldn't explain how or why, but he knew that Peter was in there. He really didn't know how long he'd been pounding on the door before he started feeling his hands getting raw and bruised. Not knowing what else to do and realizing that pounding on the door was getting him nowhere, he turned around and leaned against the door.

In the silence, he heard a noise coming from Micky and Mike's room. He rushed up the stairs and grabbed for the door not knowing if it would open or stay closed like his own bedroom door. Davy heard Mike on the other side of the door mumbling to himself and Davy knew he had to try and get in there. Davy pushed open the door without any resistance and saw Mike sitting on his knees on the floor. He was mumbling the word "no" over and over again and had a look of pure despair on his face. Davy rushed over to his friend to try even though he had no idea what to do or say to pull Mike out of this.

"Mike," Davy said softly as he kneeled down next to his friend. "Mike, what happened?"

"I'm sorry, Davy," Mike whispered. "I didn't mean it."

"What didn't you mean, Mike?" Davy asked.

"I failed," Mike said. "I couldn't protect you. I couldn't keep you safe. I'm so sorry." Davy didn't really know what to say or do. He couldn't really understand what was happening.

"Mike, I am safe," Davy argued.

"No, you're not," Mike said. "I failed. I'm so sorry, Davy. I failed you." Davy was at a loss. Was Mike's biggest fear that he was going to fail them? It made sense when Davy thought about it. Mike had always put them before himself and he was constantly taking responsibility for them. Davy wasn't sure now how he'd be able to pull Mike out of this. Mike's fear was more of a selfless one than Davy's and therefore not as easy to overcome. And Davy knew exactly how stubborn Mike was.


	35. You're Not Me

Author's Note: Finals week this week, so will probably get more cranked out here for a while till summer school starts.

Chapter 35: You're Not Me

Mike was barely listening to Davy. The only thing he could think about was the way he'd failed Davy and the others. He didn't know how, but somehow he'd ended up back in his own room. Part of him thought that maybe his going downstairs and seeing Micky and Davy had been an illusion, but it had seemed so real to him now. Even if it had been an illusion, did it change what any of it meant? Did it mean he was any less of a failure? Even though he wasn't paying attention to Davy, he could still tell that there was something different about Davy now than there had been downstairs. Davy wasn't as angry for sure, but there was something else too that Mike couldn't figure out.

"Mike, whatever you saw, it wasn't any more real than what I saw," Davy pled. "You have to know that."

"He doesn't know that," said Mike's own voice. Mike looked up and saw himself leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and looking rather smug. "He can't know for sure because he doesn't know what you saw. I do."

"Leave me alone," Mike mumbled angrily.

"Mike?" Davy asked confused. Davy couldn't see the second Mike in the room.

"I can't leave you alone," the illusion said with a smile. "Don't you get it yet? I'm a part of you. I'm the part of your mind that you can't or won't listen to."

"Go away," Mike said a little more loudly.

"Not going to happen," the illusion laughed as Davy looked at Mike questioningly.

"Mike, I'm not going to leave you," Davy said. "You helped me, now I'm going to help you."

"Poor little Davy," the illusion said. "He wants so desperately to help you, but he can't because he doesn't understand. He can't see it either. All he sees is a friend in need and being the good and loyal comrade he is, he wants to help. But he can't fix something that is beyond repair, can he?"

"Shut up," Mike growled. He knew this was an illusion now. The whole thing downstairs was an illusion played by Barbas meant to toy with him. But a small part of him still told him that the illusion was at least based in truth.

"How many times have you failed to help Davy?" the illusion asked walking over to Mike's bed to sit on it comfortably as though he were having a conversation with an old friend.

"I…" Mike started to answer but suddenly couldn't find the words to speak. He wanted to say he'd never let Davy down, but he knew deep down inside that wasn't true.

"Let's see, you let him get mixed up with a con-woman," the illusion said. "You let him get kidnapped by vampires, which by the way, also turned Micky into a werewolf. So you failed Micky there also. There was the time you failed to keep Davy from getting kidnapped in Mexico and you failed to keep Peter, Micky and Davy safe from those gypsies even though you had a bad feeling about it."

"Stop it," Mike said sinking lower to the ground.

"Mike, please tell me what's going on," Davy pled. "Who are you talking to?"

"You really didn't do much in that swordfight with Davy and the Archduke of Harmonica," the illusion continued as if Mike hadn't even said anything. "You couldn't protect Davy in that ghost town. _You_ got conned with that stupid song of yours and your friends had to bail you out. You tried to save Micky and Peter from that dance contract and got yourself roped in; Davy had to bail you all out. Peter got kidnapped by a mad scientist right under your nose and got his memory erased to boot. Micky got kidnapped by the Chinese mafia and then Peter went running after them."

"Shut up!" Mike yelled startling Davy.

"Face it, Michael," the illusion said standing back up. "You're a failure. Look around you. No food in the house, you can barely pay rent. You can't even support your friends! You're a miserable failure."

"Mike, please, tell me what's happening," Davy pled. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"He's right," Mike said miserably. "I am a failure. I couldn't keep you guys safe."

"Mike, that's not true," Davy said firmly. "You are not a failure."

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," the illusion said. "You know the truth, don't you?"

"I let Fern get the best of you, Davy," Mike mumbled. "And Lori and El Diablo. I let them all get to you. I let them all hurt you."

"Are you crazy, Mike?" Davy exclaimed. "You _saved_ me from them! You and Micky and Peter saved me from making a fool of myself with Fern. _You_ saved Micky and me and Peter from Lori and her uncle. And you and Micky and Peter saved me from El Diablo. _You_ saved me. You didn't fail me."

"I let them get to you in the first place," Mike mumbled.

"So what?" Davy said. "Doesn't mean you failed me. How could you have even possibly known any of that stuff was going to happen? I was stupid enough to go kiss Angelita when I knew it would make El Diablo made. What matters is that when it mattered you were there."

"I…I…" Mike whispered. He was finally starting to hear Davy. How _could_ he have known what was going to happen?

"He's just trying to be your friend," the illusion said. "Saying the right thing at the right time. You're not actually listening to him, are you? What about all the other times you failed one of your friends?"

"I couldn't stop us getting kidnapped in that ghost town," Mike said quietly. "I was stupid enough to get conned by that music producer and the dance instructor when I was supposed to be saving Micky and Peter. And Peter got kidnapped by that mad scientist while we were performing and Micky by the Chinese mafia and…"

"Mike, shut up right now," Davy said. "**None** of that means you're a failure. It means we meet the wrong people and we're probably the un-luckiest people in the world. We got out of that ghost town, didn't we?"

"Thanks to your shooting," Mike answered.

"And you distracting the big woman," Davy said. "And as for that jerk of a music producer, stuff happens. You may have let it bother you at first, but you got over it."

"You and Micky and Peter had to help me," Mike said.

"And that means you're a failure how?" Davy asked. "Everyone needs help sometimes and just because they do, doesn't mean they're a failure. A failure would be someone who refuses the help of his friends. And I was there when Peter got kidnapped by that mad scientist, too. Am I a failure for not stopping it?"

"No," Mike answered.

"So why are you different?" Davy demanded. "You helped me and Micky save him. And you're the one who saved Micky and Peter from the Chinese mafia. You came up with the idea to freak them out with the doomsday bug. We've all gotten into problems and you've always been there to help pull us out. Even today when I was scared and ready to give in to my fears. You helped pull me out of it."

"Don't listen to him," the illusion with Mike's face said looking angry now. "He's just telling you what you want to hear."

"No," Mike said. "He's right. You're wrong. Go away."

"What about the empty cabinets?" the illusion sneered. "And everything else?"

"We were all happy until you showed up," Mike said angrily. "GO AWAY!" Mike felt his fear and desolation replaced with fury and he forced himself to stand. His knees were weak and shaky, but he forced himself to stand anyway.

"You're not a failure, Mike," Davy said. "You're my best friend and I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

"I'm not afraid of you," Mike said looking angrily at the illusion of himself. "You are a liar. You messed with my mind and made me think I had let my friends down. You say you're a part of me, but I think you're a fraud. You're not me, you're just wearing my face to make me think you're a part of me. I'm listening to my heart and my heart tells me that you are wrong. Even if my friends get kidnapped or hurt, that doesn't mean I've let them down because I will always be there to save them until my very last breath. I would die for each and every one of them, and even if I do die trying to save them, that doesn't mean I'm a failure."

"That's right, Mike," Davy said happily. The illusion of Mike stared back at him angrily.

"Go away," Mike said firmly. "I'm not afraid of you anymore." The illusion smiled one last time and disappeared. "Thank you, Davy." Mike moved to sit on the edge of his bed. He was still a little shaky and needed a moment to recoup himself.

"Anytime, Mike," Davy said moving to sit next to him. "What happened?"

"It was horrible," Mike answered. "I don't even know how I got up here. Last I knew I was downstairs with all of you and then I was up here. I tried to get out, but the door bricked over and I couldn't get out no matter how hard I pounded on them. Then I saw myself. He was talking to me and told me he was a part of me. Then somehow I was able to get downstairs and saw that Micky was terrified and you…you were so angry at me. You said I'd abandoned you all after saying I'd protect you. But I couldn't have done that. I couldn't have abandoned you."

"That didn't happen, Mike," Davy said. "It was an illusion. You disappeared and then Micky did and then Peter. There's nothing any of us could have done."

"I don't know how I got back up here, but when I heard you so angry with me…it broke my heart and I felt horrible," Mike admitted.

"It's ok, Mike," Davy said. "I'm not mad. That wasn't me. It was an illusion. You never left this room after Barbas somehow moved you up here. As soon as I saw you were all gone, I freaked out and started trying to find you. I tried to get in my room and the basement, but the doors wouldn't budge. Then Barbas showed up and I tried to fight him, but he disappeared like a coward. Then I heard you up here and came up. It was all an illusion. A trick played by Barbas, just like it was with me."

"So Micky and Peter are locked up in this house somewhere?" Mike asked. "Miserable and being tormented by fear?"

"More than likely," Davy answered. "But I couldn't get to them. I think Peter's in our room, but I don't know how to get to him and I think Micky might be in the basement. The doors are solid."

"We have to try again," Mike said jumping off the bed. If Micky and Peter were going through what he'd just gone through, he couldn't just sit there and do nothing. He had to help them. Somehow. Davy followed him down the stairs. Mike barely paid attention to the bricks surrounding the house, but took quick note that more of the bricks were missing. He stopped in front of the basement door and pulled as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. He quickly moved to try Davy and Peter's room, but that door was shut solid, too.

"They won't budge," Davy said dejectedly.

"How did you open the door to my room?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, it just opened," Davy answered. "There was no resistance to that door."

"After you tried to fight Barbas?" Mike asked seeing the scattered mess of chairs and table.

"Yeah," Davy answered looking at it too, "I lost my balance and fell into the table when he disappeared. I yelled a few things at him and then he gave me this big speech about how fear is inevitable and he can't be beaten and then I heard you."

"There has to be some way in here," Mike said turning back to the door.

"Maybe we can break down the doors?" Davy offered.

"With what?" Mike asked.

"I don't know," Davy said. "Maybe if we both try."

"Ok," Mike said as he and Davy stood next to each other. "On three. One. Two. Three!" Both of them charged for the door to Peter and Davy's room, but it didn't give at all. The only thing that happened was they got sore shoulders. They tried multiple times on the basement door and Davy's bedroom door, but nothing worked. Mike felt despair filling him again. He knew how bad Davy had felt facing his fear now and he wanted to do everything to keep Peter and Micky shielded from it. He wanted so desperately to save them from what he'd just gone through, but how could he if he couldn't get to them. He banged on the wall and growled in frustration, even though he knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. He meant what he'd said upstairs. He really would die for any of his friends, but right now he couldn't do a thing to help them. Who knew what kind of fears they were suffering? And all he could do was bang his hands uselessly against the wall.


	36. Hurt Those You Love

Author's Note: Short chapter, but intense. Hope you like! BTW, bought the tickets for the show. I'm about 6 rows back. :D can't wait!

Chapter 36: Hurt Those You Love

Peter didn't understand what happened. He'd been looking for Micky and Mike after they disappeared and suddenly he was in his room. He looked around and found himself alone in the room. He tried pulling the door open, but it wouldn't move. He knew that Davy had been alone when confronted with an illusion of his greatest fear, so he knew that was probably about to happen to him. He took a step back from the door and readied himself for whatever was about to happen. He didn't have to wait very long when he heard a laughing behind him. He turned around to see the Devil sitting on his bed laughing at him.

"Leave me alone," Peter said sternly. "You can't get to me. I won't let you. I'm not afraid."

"You think so?" the Devil answered.

"I am not afraid," Peter repeated. "Nothing can happen to me. My friends will always be there for me."

"Will they?" the Devil asked. "I don't see them right now."

"You did something," Peter answered. "They're in my heart and that's all that matters."

"You seem so sure they will always feel the same way about you that you do them," the Devil sneered.

"I am," Peter answered. "And there's not a thing you can do to change that."

"What if I told you there was," the Devil said with a sick smile on his face. "See, they're being exposed to their biggest fears right as we speak."

"Leave them alone," Peter said.

"I'm having too much fun with this," the Devil laughed. "Seeing them writhe in pain brings me great pleasure. See, you boys think you keep defeating me, but you're not. You've been subjected over and over again to my tortures and you're friends are near their breaking point. Terror is filling every inch of their souls and they are begging for it all to end. And soon it will end for them."

"What did you do to them?" Peter demanded unconsciously clenching his fists.

"I offered them a solution," the Devil answered. "A way for them to end their suffering and pain. If they sign their souls over to me, their pain will end."

"They'd never do that," Peter quipped.

"Never?" the Devil asked. "Everyone has a price. Yours was a harp. You signed your soul over for a harp and the ability to play it and by doing so you put your friends in danger."

"I didn't know!" Peter snapped.

"It doesn't matter if you knew it or not," the Devil laughed. "The fact is that you did. They had to bail you out and they put themselves in the line of fire for you."

"I didn't mean to," Peter said starting to crack a little.

"I know you didn't, Peter," the Devil said smiling at him. "But not to worry, their suffering is over. They've broken and now they belong to me."

"No!" Peter yelled.

"Yes," the Devil laughed waving at something behind Peter. "It's over, Peter." Peter whirled around and saw Mike standing in front of the door. He looked weak and pale. Peter ran over to him and hugged him.

"Mike, I'm so sorry," Peter said trying to hold back tears. He didn't want to appear weak in front of the Devil, but he was worried about what had happened to Mike. "This is my fault; I'm so sorry."

"Get off me," Mike said gruffly pushing Peter away from him.

"What?" Peter said looking at Mike incredibly puzzled.

"I told you, Peter," the Devil laughed behind him. "They belong to me."

"How could you do this to us?" Mike asked Peter. "After everything we've done for you and you go and make a stupid mistake by signing a contract without reading it! You're right this is your fault, Peter! I can't believe you didn't learn your lesson the first time when you signed that lifetime dance contract!"

"Mike, I'm sorry," Peter said no unable to hold back tears.

"Because of you, we've been through nothing but hell the past several months!" Mike said now advancing on Peter menacingly. "We've all almost died! I nearly killed Davy! My best friend!"

"I'm sorry!" Peter cried not knowing what else to say or do.

"That's all you've got?" said Micky's voice behind him. Peter turned to look at Micky who looked just as weak as Mike, but still somehow full of rage.

"Micky?" Peter asked apprehensively unsure if Micky was as mad at him as Mike was.

"I'm sorry?" Micky echoed Peter's own words back at him. "That's all you've got after everything?"

"What do you want me to say?" Peter asked.

"How about an explanation?" said Davy now sitting on his bed.

"I'm sorry," Peter said again, the words sounding hollow now. "I don't have one."

"I do," Mike said pushing Peter against the wall. "You're an idiot. You are a stupid, naïve, idiot who only thinks about himself!"

"No, Mike, he'd have to think in order to think about himself," Davy said getting up and advancing toward Peter, too.

"What are you guys doing?" Peter asked.

"Don't you see, Peter?" Micky said. "You are the cause of all this. Without you around, we wouldn't be going through any of this. We'd be safe."

"So I'll leave," Peter said trying to inch toward the door. His friends were talking about hurting him, killing him perhaps. He knew they would never do anything to hurt him. This couldn't be his friends. This was an illusion. But it didn't make sense; he wasn't afraid of his friends turning on him because he knew it would never happen.

"You can't leave, Peter," Mike said moving to block him. "You're leaving doesn't fix anything."

"The Devil is still mad at us," Micky added. "He still wants his revenge. There's only one way to give it to him."

"Ok," Peter said. "I don't understand what's going on here. You're obviously not my friends; that much I figured out."

"No, Peter," Davy said coming up behind Peter. "Friends don't put each other in the line of fire. You're right: we aren't your friends anymore. You've done nothing but drag us down anyway." Before Peter could react, Davy pushed Peter into Micky who gripped his arms tightly and held them behind his back.

"What's going on?" Peter asked. He felt afraid, but still couldn't understand why. He knew these weren't really his friends. There's no way they would ever hurt him, so this couldn't be his greatest fear. He didn't really know what to say or do; should he fight back or let things happen as they may?

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Davy said. "We've just explained it to you!"

"No," Peter argued as he tried to wriggle out of Micky's grip. "You aren't my friends. You aren't Mike and you aren't Micky and you aren't Davy!"

"Yes they are, Peter," the Devil said from the corner of the room. Peter hadn't seen him since Mike showed up, but guessed he'd been watching the whole time. "I told you: I own them now."

"Make them stop!" Peter pled.

"We can't, Peter," Micky said gripping his arms tighter. Peter felt pain through his arms, but couldn't bring himself to fight much harder. Even though he knew these were illusions, he still couldn't hurt his friends.

"This is how it has to be, Peter," Mike said. "We have to save ourselves. We're tired of suffering because of you." Mike pulled a very sharp looking knife out of his back pocket and Peter suddenly turned very cold.

"Don't do this," Peter said. "Make them stop. I know these are illusions! They aren't real."

"Then they can't hurt you," the Devil laughed. "Illusions aren't real, so they can't hurt you."

"Please, stop," Peter pled trying to pull away from Micky.

"They are real, Peter," the Devil said as Micky twisted Peter's arm tighter behind his back and pain shot through his whole back. "They are going to kill you, Peter. What are you going to do?" Was the Devil right? Were these his friends? Surely an illusion couldn't hurt him like Micky was. But what did that mean for Peter? He couldn't fight back if these really were his friends.

"No," Peter begged. "Make them stop."

"This is their choice, Peter," the Devil said. "I offered them the choice and they're making it."

"What choice?" Peter asked getting angry. "Kill me or keep suffering? If they kill me, they'll be safe? Is that it? I hate you!"

"Oh, that burns," the Devil laughed sarcastically. "What are you waiting for, Michael? Kill him."

"No!" Peter yelled pulling harder against Micky.

"Oh, come now, Peter," the Devil said as Mike raised the knife above his head. "Surely you can do better than that. I thought you said these were illusions? They aren't your friends so you should be able to fight back." Time seemed to move in slow motion as Mike brought the knife closer to Peter. Instinct overwhelmed Peter and forced him to fight back. He threw his head back and slammed into Micky's face. Micky cried out in pain and let go of Peter just before Mike stabbed Peter. Instead, the knife plunged into Micky's shoulder. Peter turned and stared horrified as his friend cried out in pain and dropped to the ground.

"Look what you made me do!" Mike yelled turning on Peter and charging him. Mike's face was full of rage and instinctively, Peter ran out of the way.

"Mike!" Peter yelled trying to get his friend to snap out of whatever hold the Devil had over him. "Please, don't do this! Snap out of it!"

"Shut up, Peter!" Davy exclaimed trying to advance on Peter from the other side. Peter backed into the wall as his two friends boxed him in. His eyes fell on Micky moaning in pain on the floor holding his shoulder. Blood was already starting to pool beneath him.

"No," Peter started crying. Illusions didn't bleed, did they?

"You even messed this up!" Davy yelled. "You mess everything up! You hurt everyone around you!"

"No," Peter said sinking to the ground and sobbing. "I'm sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen. I…I…"

"Shut up, Peter," Mike sneered. "You don't get to talk anymore."

"I'm impressed," the Devil laughed standing over Micky. "I didn't think you'd actually fight back. But you did. You hurt your best friend very gravely. He could die."

"Please help him," Peter said.

"What makes you think I can?" the Devil laughed.

"I didn't want to hurt him," Peter sobbed.

"But you did," the Devil said with a sickening smile and disappeared. Mike and Davy disappeared with him. Peter finally understood what was happening. _This_ was his greatest fear. He'd actually hurt his friend. Peter stared at Micky on the ground and couldn't move. Blood was coming out of his nose from where Peter had hit him. Micky was in pain and dying by Peter's hand. He didn't care that the Devil had tricked him into making his worst fear a reality. He had been right about their entire situation having been Peter's fault. If Peter had never signed that contract, they'd all be fine right now. They'd all be happy and safe. If it weren't for him, Davy's leg wouldn't have been burned; Davy wouldn't have had his heart toyed with; Micky never would have been assaulted by train robbers and they never would have nearly died in that ghost town. And worst of all, it had been Peter's actions that had directly resulted in Micky being seriously injured and he didn't even have the courage to do anything about it. All he could do was sit there while his friend lay bleeding on the floor. Because of him.


	37. Breaking Through

Author's Note: Yeah, a little break before I get to take physics this summer. Just waiting on one more grade for this semester to know if I brought my GPA up to where it needs to be. Here's hoping for that 3.5.

Chapter 37: Breaking Through

Mike's frustration was boiling inside him. He had to figure out a way to get to his friends. He didn't know what they were going through or what their fears were, but he knew it had to have been painful from having just gone through it himself. Mike's hand hurt from pounding on the door as hard as he was, but he didn't care. He had to figure out a way to get through it; he had to break it down somehow. But it was sealed tight. In the back of his mind he knew the doors must have been magically sealed, but he didn't want to stop fighting to get in. He couldn't give up on Peter and Micky. Behind him, he could almost feel Davy's own frustration.

"You let me in to see Mike!" Davy yelled at the air, though Mike knew he was really yelling at Barbas. "Why won't you let us in to see Peter and Micky!?" As Mike expected, they got no response. Mike turned to look at Davy and his eyes landed on the pot that Davy had thrown earlier. Suddenly he remembered that a month earlier, Piper had come over and given them several tiny bottles. She had told them that they were potions she made up to help them in case they ever needed it. Mike ran up to his room to dig through his drawers to try and find them. Davy followed behind him puzzled. "Mike, what are you doing?"

"Remember those bottles Piper gave us?" Mike responded. "I think she said that some of them were meant to break spells if we threw them. Those doors are magically sealed so if we can use those potions against the doors, we should be able to get in. I think I put them in one of my socks to keep them from breaking." Mike pulled out several pairs of bundled socks before he found one that had the bottles in them. He quickly dumped them on his bed and looked for a red one: the one Piper had told them would break spells. There were four bottles of red liquid and Mike grabbed all four just in case before running back downstairs. He took one bottle and threw it at the door to Davy and Peter's room. The bottle broke against the door and it seemed to glow with a bright white light for a brief second. Mike hesitated for just a second before trying to open the door again. When he tried, it opened without any resistance. Mike rushed through the door as fast as he could and scanned the room. He saw Peter leaning against the wall staring at something on the other side of the room. Mike and Davy rushed over to Peter's side to try and comfort him.

"Peter?" Davy asked wrapping his arm around Peter's shoulders. "What happened?" Mike waited, but they got no response from Peter. He just kept staring across the room, but Mike couldn't tell what he was looking at.

"Peter, what's the matter?" Mike prompted, but still Peter stayed silent.

"Can you talk to us, Peter?" Davy pled. They were met with more silence from Peter.

"Peter, whatever you're looking at, it's not real," Mike said. But Peter didn't tear his eyes away from whatever he was looking at on the other side of the room. Mike moved to kneel in front of Peter hoping to block his vision and snap him out of whatever he was going through. Peter seemed to look at him now, but still said nothing.

"Peter, please talk to us," Davy pled again sounding desperate.

"Peter, it's not real," Mike said taking Peter's face in his hands and forcing Peter to look directly at him in order to try and snap him out of whatever haze he was in.

"Mike?" Peter breathed finally.

"Yes, it's me," Mike said smiling at Peter.

"I'm sorry, Mike," Peter said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Mike said. "This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault."

"I didn't mean for this to happen," Peter mumbled again tears flowing down his eyes. "I'm sorry I messed up so bad."

"You didn't mess up, Peter," Davy said.

"I messed up with the harp and now this," Peter said.

"Peter, we've been over this," Davy said. "You didn't do anything wrong with the harp. It was an accident and no one blames you."

"What do you mean "and now this"?" Mike asked.

"Micky," Peter sobbed.

"What about Micky?" Mike asked.

"I'm so sorry, Mike," Peter said again.

"Peter, look at me," Mike said firmly. "You have _nothing_ to be sorry for, you hear me? Nothing. You did nothing wrong with the harp. You have done nothing wrong now. Whatever you think happened; didn't happen. It was an illusion. You have to believe me. Whatever you're seeing; it isn't real."

"How can you say that?" Peter asked.

"Because I was tricked, too," Mike said.

"It was real," Peter said. "It had to be real."

"No, Peter," Mike answered firmly. "It wasn't." Peter fell silent again and Mike saw his eyes start to focus on something behind Mike again.

"Peter, it wasn't real," Davy tried but Peter didn't answer.

"Ok, tell me what happened," Mike said. "Tell me what you see. What are you looking at?"

"Micky," Peter breathed.

"Micky's not in here," Davy said.

"What about Micky?" Mike asked.

"I hurt him," Peter said so softly that Mike almost didn't even hear him. "I swear I didn't want to hurt him."

"You didn't hurt him," Mike said.

"You could never hurt anyone," Davy added.

"I did," Peter sobbed. "It's my fault."

"How did you hurt him?" Mike asked trying to find some way to prove to Peter that what he had seen was an illusion. If he couldn't realize that what he'd seen hadn't been real, he'd never be able to get over it. Mike couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Peter to think he had in any way caused Micky or anyone else harm.

"Peter, talk to us," Davy pled. "I promise you that you didn't hurt Micky. Tell us what happened."

"You were here," Peter said.

"No, we weren't," Mike answered. "We just got here. Peter, we got separated and I got tricked just like you did. I thought I'd let you guys down, but it wasn't real. Davy snapped me out of it and we came down here looking for you. We couldn't get in until just now. We were not in here. Whatever you saw us do, it wasn't us. Trust me."

"You were so mad at me," Peter cried.

"Peter, we aren't mad at you," Davy said. "There's no way we could be mad at you. We love you, Peter."

"What you saw was an illusion," Mike said. "Trust me. I saw myself upstairs. Then I saw Micky and Davy downstairs in the living room and I thought Davy was mad at me and Micky was terrified. It wasn't them. It was an illusion. It was a trick played on me by Barbas. He made me think that I had failed you guys. That's my greatest fear; that I'm going to fail you guys, but I know that I never will because I care about you too much. I could never do anything to hurt or fail you."

"But…" Peter said looking up at Mike again.

"We weren't here," Mike stressed again. "It was an illusion. It wasn't real. Whatever we said or did; it was not us."

"You wanted to hurt me," Peter said. Mike's blood ran cold. How could Mike ever do anything to hurt Peter? Anger bubbled inside him again as the truth hit him: Barbas had made Peter think that Mike wanted to hurt him.

"What!?" Davy exclaimed. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"I would never hurt you, Peter," Mike said trying to remove the anger from his voice. "I couldn't ever do anything to hurt you."

"You were going to stab me because I'm the reason you're all suffering," Peter said tearfully. "If you killed me, you wouldn't have to suffer anymore. The Devil would leave you alone."

"Peter, I couldn't ever do that!" Mike said. "Listen to me carefully: I could never do anything to hurt you. I don't care what Barbas or the Devil or anyone else throws at us. I don't care what he puts me through or what he does to me. I will never, ever hurt you. I don't care if he rips my arms off; I will never hurt you. What you saw was a trick, Peter. He's lying to you."

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," Peter said. "He said he controlled you; that he owned you now. I didn't want to fight back; I didn't want to hurt you or Micky because I knew you'd never hurt me, but…"

"He lied to you, Peter," Davy said. "It was all lies."

"But Micky…he's bleeding…" Peter said still staring behind him.

"Micky is not here," Mike said slowly and firmly. "I promise you that."

"I didn't mean to fight back," Peter said still crying. "But I was scared and I hurt Micky. He was holding me and I hit him. I made his nose bleed and he let go and he got stabbed instead of me."

"You didn't hurt Micky," Davy said. "Micky hasn't been in here. It wasn't real. You've been alone."

"Even if it was an illusion," Peter said looking up at Davy. "It doesn't change what I did. I hurt him. He's my best friend. How could I hurt him?"

"You didn't hurt him," Davy said starting to sound a little frustrated. Mike understood what Peter was saying. His fear was that he would hurt someone he loved and Barbas had made it come true. Whether it was an illusion or not, it proved to Peter that he was capable of harming one of his best friends. Mike didn't know what to say to make Peter feel better, so he just pulled Peter tightly to him.

"You were forced to defend yourself, Peter," Mike managed. "What he did to you isn't fair and I promise you I will make him pay for this. You could never hurt any of us just as we could never hurt you. That would never happen."

"What kind of person hurts their best friend?" Peter sobbed.

"Not you," Mike answered pulling Peter tighter. "You could never do it. You knew it wasn't us. You knew it was an illusion; that's why you fought back. You wouldn't ever have otherwise done that under other circumstances. I promise you that you are the most loyal, peaceful, caring, kind-hearted, beautiful man I know. You are not a horrible person; you are not a bad friend. I love you, Peter. I hate that they have done this to you because you are so far from being a bad person. Please believe that, Peter."

"He's right," Davy said wrapping Peter in a hug from the other side. "I would entrust you with my life, Peter. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you and nothing I wouldn't trust you with. You're like the big brother I never had. You mean the world to me, Peter, and I know with all my heart that you would never, ever be capable of hurting us."

"But I did hurt Micky," Peter said.

"No, you didn't," Mike said. "You defended yourself against an illusion. You would never do anything to hurt anyone. You have to believe that Peter."

"I…" Peter started to pull away, but Mike held onto him still.

"Don't start, Peter," Davy said firmly. "You are not capable of hurting us. It was an illusion. You were forced to defend yourself against an illusion. It wasn't real, Peter. It wasn't real."

"It wasn't?" Peter asked. Mike could feel him starting to relax a little.

"No, see, I'll show you," Davy said reluctantly letting go and walking over to the spot Peter had been staring the whole time. "There's nothing here. Micky isn't here."

"I don't understand," Peter breathed.

"It wasn't real, Peter," Mike said. "He lied."

"The Devil was here," Peter said. "He said he was controlling you. He said he had broken you."

"He lied, Peter," Mike reiterated. "You're greatest fear is that you are going to hurt someone you love and he tricked you into thinking you could possibly do it. But you couldn't ever hurt anyone. Especially not Micky or me or Davy."

"You fought against an illusion, Peter," Davy said. "You had to have known that deep down; otherwise you wouldn't have done it. I know that with all my heart."

"So do I," Mike agreed.

"It wasn't real?" Peter said relaxing a little more and finally tearing his eyes away from the spot on the other side of the room.

"It wasn't real," Davy affirmed. "I promise you."

"I didn't hurt Micky?" Peter asked.

"You didn't hurt Micky," Mike said. "You're not capable of that. You're not that kind of person."

"I swear on my life, Peter," Davy added coming back over to wrap Peter in another hug. "You could never do anything to hurt any of us." Peter finally relaxed and wrapped his arms around Mike; he was finally starting to understand what had really happened. Mike and Davy were getting through to him. Mike and Davy just sat and held him for a while as he cried. Mike's heart broke as he tried to comfort his friend and he couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for Peter to believe he'd hurt one of his friends. He was just glad now that Peter knew it was over. After a few minutes, Peter pulled away from Mike and wiped his eyes.

"Where is Micky?" Peter asked.

"We think he's in the basement," Davy answered.

"If you want to stay here a little longer, I understand," Mike said. "But I need to go help him now."

"No," Peter said firmly. "I have to help him, too. I have to make it right. I know I didn't hurt him, but I have to prove that now. I have to help him."

"Ok, if you're sure you're ok; we need to go," Mike said getting up and extending a hand to Peter. Peter nodded firmly and let Mike help him off the ground. When the three of them left the room, Mike looked over at the bricked over window and saw that even more bricks had disappeared which meant that Peter had gotten over his fear as well. There were still quite a bit of bricks though and only Micky left to overcome his fear. Mike thought for a moment that after this there might be something worse they had to fight; he couldn't imagine what would be worse than what they'd already been going through and he didn't want to really find out. But he couldn't focus on that right now; he had to worry about Micky at this moment in time. He'd figure everything else out later.


	38. Propositions

Author's Note: Read and review!

Chapter 38: Propositions

Micky didn't understand how he got in the basement, but he knew that Barbas must have had something to do with it. He didn't hesitate to try and escape, even though a part of him knew that it was probably going to be futile; Barbas wouldn't have transported him down here and made it easy to escape. Barbas wanted him to be alone so he could face his fears. Sure enough, when he ran up the stairs and tried to open the door, he couldn't make it budge. Giving up on the door, he turned around and walked back to the center of the basement.

"Alright," he said preparing himself. The only way he was going to get out of here was to overcome his fear. "You got me. I'm alone so you can try and scare me now."

"Oh, I know I can't scare you," answered a voice from the shadows. "You're much better than that."

"What do you mean?" Micky asked as the Devil walked closer to him.

"You're too smart and strong to be fooled as easily as your friends," the Devil answered. "No, I have something else planned for you."

"Like what?" Micky asked tensing up and preparing himself for an attack. He wasn't sure if this was a trick or not, but he wasn't going to show any sign of fear.

"You've proven yourself to be very smart and gifted," the Devil answered with a smile. "No mortal has ever been able to hurt me before. You did and I have to commend you for that."

"What does that mean?" Micky said starting to get a little more worried.

"It means you could be an asset to me," the Devil answered.

"What are you talking about?" Micky asked although he had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.

"Think about it, Micky," the Devil said. "Someone who can cause injury to me, one of the strongest demons in the world, is incredibly gifted. You deserve to have those talents put to better use rather behind a rickety old drum set performing silly songs with lesser beings."

"My friends aren't lesser beings," Micky snarled.

"They aren't on the same level as you," the Devil answered. "Not nearly on the same level as you. They've done nothing but hold you back. With my help, you could do whatever you want. Have whatever your heart desires."

"My heart desires to be with my friends," Micky answered. "And they are not holding me back."

"Aren't they?" the Devil laughed. "You're the one who fought against your anger and overcame it first. You're the one who thought to go to the magic shop and seek help from Piper. As I recall, Michael told you not to do it. You knew better and did it anyway. If you hadn't done that, you never would have defeated me. You're friends all owe their victories to you."

"We work together," Micky said. "What are you trying to get at here? You want me to join you or something? You must be insane if you think that's going to happen."

"You can have everything you've ever wanted," the Devil said.

"I already have everything I want," Micky spat back. "Except for one thing: I want you to leave me and my friends alone."

"Micky, you aren't listening to me," the Devil said. "Fame, power, fortune; everything you've ever wanted and more could be at your fingertips. All you have to do is agree to work with me."

"I told you," Micky answered. "I have everything I want, save for you leaving us alone. It's not going to happen. There's nothing you can tempt me with. I don't want fame or fortune or power. I want my friends. What did you do with them?"

"They are fine, for now," the Devil said. "Why don't I show you what I could offer you?"

"No," Micky said defiantly. "There's nothing you can show me to make me want to work with you. I don't care if you could give me a mansion with millions of dollars and anything else that goes with it. Not. Gonna. Happen. Give it up and move on."

"I need you on my side, Micky," the Devil said getting angry now.

"Well, tough," Micky answered. "I will never do anything to help you. I will never work with you. Ever. Now let me go so I can see my friends."

"It's not that easy, Micky," the Devil sneered menacingly. "You will join me, eventually. Every man has a price. I just need to find yours." Micky ran back up the stairs to try and escape out the door again, but he had barely made it to the bottom of the stairs when he felt something hit him in the gut and push him across the room. Micky crashed hard into the wall and felt pain through his whole back. He tried to push himself up to fight, but felt something heavy push him back down.

"Let me go," Micky gasped out through the pain.

"All you have to do is sign my contract, Micky," the Devil laughed. "You'll be given more power than you can ever imagine and you'll be able to work alongside the most feared and hated beings on the face of the Earth."

"Never," Micky grunted out.

"I'm sure with enough time I can persuade you," the Devil laughed and kicked Micky in the gut. "Never is a very strong word." Micky tried once again to stand up and fight back, but there was still an invisible force pushing him down. Far above him, Micky heard his friends calling for him. The force holding him down weakened as though the Devil had lost a bit of his concentration. Micky jumped up and tackled the Devil to the ground. He balled his hands into fists and punched the Devil in the face a few times until he realized the Devil was bleeding. Micky jumped off the Devil and ran towards the stairs again to try and escape.

"Davy!" he yelled. "Peter! Mike! I'm down here!" He reached the top of the stairs and started pounding on the door trying to open it. Again it wouldn't open, but now he heard his friends on the other side. He heard the Devil laughing behind him and Micky threw his whole body into the door to try and bust it open. It finally cracked with his force and his friends' and burst open. Micky climbed through it, but felt something grab his ankles and pull him back. Peter and Mike reached out and grabbed his arms to try and help pull him back through the door, but the force pulling him further into the basement was stronger. He barely even felt them trying to pull him to safety before he was thrown back down the stairs.

"Micky, no!" Mike, Peter, and Davy yelled as Micky tumbled down the stairs and hit the ground hard. The three of them ran down the stairs after him and tried to help him, but the Devil was waiting for them. Micky could only watch as the Devil snapped his fingers and the stairs his friends were climbing down snapped causing them all to fall on top of him.

"Well, this changes things a little," the Devil smiled. He snapped his fingers again and Mike was pulled by an invisible force across the room where he slammed into the wall followed by Peter and Davy.

"No!" Micky yelled trying to get up and help them, but was once again held down by something he couldn't see.

"Yes, this is very interesting indeed," the Devil laughed. Micky could only watch as chains appeared to grow out of the wall and bind his friends against it. "I think that I very well may have found your price, Micky."

"No," Micky breathed as he realized what the Devil meant.

"All you have to do is agree," the Devil laughed.

"What's he talking about, Micky?" Mike asked.

"You lay a finger on them and I swear I will kill you!" Micky roared trying to fight to break free of the invisible force holding him.

"You may have been able to hurt me, Micky," the Devil said as he wiped the blood from his nose. "Twice now even. But you cannot and will not ever be able to kill me. I am immortal."

"Micky, what is he talking about?" Mike asked again. "Agree to what!?"

"Whatever it is, don't do it, Micky!" Davy yelled trying to fight to get loose.

"I'm sorry, guys," Micky said. "He wants me to join him."

"You must be pretty stupid if you think that's ever going to happen," Mike snapped at the Devil.

"Why would you even want him to work with you?" Peter asked.

"He's a lot stronger and more talented than any of you give him credit for," the Devil answered with a laugh.

"That's not fair!" Peter exclaimed. "We know exactly how good he is!"

"You're just mad because it looks like he kicked your butt again," Mike laughed.

"No, see I need someone with his skill," the Devil said showing a slight trace of anger. "Without him, you never would have gotten as far as you have. And that's why I want him. The first mortal to ever hurt me. Can you imagine what he'd be capable of with a little extra power?"

"Sure, but you need him to agree to it," Mike sneered. "And he never will."

"Are you sure about that?" the Devil said with a sickening smile. Micky wanted to yell at them to stop taunting the Devil. Didn't they understand that the Devil was going to hurt them to get Micky to agree?

"Positive," Mike said. "Micky, I don't care what happens. Promise me you won't do it."

"Mike," Micky choked out under the force of the force still holding him back from his friends. "He's going to hurt you."

"I don't care if he kills us," Peter said. "Don't give in to him! Your soul will be lost forever!"

"Promise us," Davy repeated.

"We'll figure a way out of this," Mike said. "We always have."

"I'm afraid you're stuck this time," the Devil sneered. "You may have somehow overcome your fears, but those chains are steel and magically bound to the wall. How do you expect to break free?"

"I don't know yet, but I have faith it'll work out for us," Mike snapped.

"Do you?" the Devil asked snapping his fingers and making a long knife appear in his hand. Micky could only watch as the Devil moved in one quick motion and plunged the knife through Mike's chest.

"NO!" Micky screamed over Davy and Peter's own gasps. The chains binding Mike snapped and he collapsed to the floor. The weight holding Micky back disappeared and Micky shot across the room like a bullet to lift his fallen friend and cradle him in his arms.

"How's your faith now?" the Devil laughed as Micky held Mike in his arms. Micky looked down at Mike, his vision blurred heavily through the tears in his eyes.

"Mike, it's going to be ok, just hold on," Micky cried.

"Don't do it, Micky," Mike choked out. "Promise me. Don't let him win."

"I'm so sorry, Mike," Micky cried.

"Promise me," Mike said again. Micky didn't know what to say or do. He could tell Mike was about to die and there wasn't any way that anyone could get in to help save him. There was really only one way Micky could save Mike's life right now.

"I can't let you guys get hurt again," Micky answered. "I have to help you."

"Micky?" Peter asked through tears.

"If I agree to this, can I save him still?" Micky asked the Devil ignoring Peter.

"Perhaps," the Devil answered. "Not sure you'd want to though."

"Micky…" Davy cried, pleading with him not to do this. But he and Peter didn't understand. They couldn't feel Mike dying in their arms.

"What do you mean?" Micky asked quickly. He knew he didn't have much time to save Mike and he had to make sure he could.

"You'll be changed," the Devil answered. "The power will corrupt you. You won't be human anymore."

"Micky, don't," Mike begged through rasping breaths. "I don't want to be saved that way. Promise me you won't." Micky crumbled a little. He knew what the Devil meant: Micky would become a demon like him and if that happened, there was no guarantee he'd want to use his powers to save Mike even if he could.

"Mike…" Micky answered through tears. He still didn't know what to do and he could feel Mike slipping away with each passing second.

"Make a decision, Micky," the Devil sneered.

"I can't," Micky sobbed. "Please don't do this. Don't make me."

"I must warn you," the Devil said. "I'm not very patient. Don't make me wait, Micky."

"Micky," Mike breathed. He was almost gone and there was nothing Micky could do; Mike could only barely form words. "Please. Don't."

"I promise you I will destroy him," Micky said. He nearly lost it when he felt Mike go limp in his arms and Mike's eyes closed. He couldn't feel Mike breathing anymore and suddenly he felt a surge of anger rush through him. He barely heard Peter and Davy sobbing, still chained to the wall, as he gently laid Mike on the ground. He heard the Devil snickering in the background and the sound was like a jolt of electricity ran through Micky. Before he knew what he was doing, he jumped up and charged the Devil again. Micky was able to slam the Devil into the wall and punch him in the face one more time before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"No more games, Micky," the Devil said reappearing behind him. Micky turned slowly, anger still filling every inch of him, and saw the Devil standing next to Davy with the knife that had just been in Mike's chest. "I will not let you get the better of me again."

"Don't touch him," Micky snarled clenching his fists tightly.

"Or what?" the Devil said. "You agree to sign my contract and I'll let them go."

"Don't!" Davy exclaimed. "Please!"

"Micky, don't do it!" Peter yelled.

"You gonna listen to them or are you going to save them?" the Devil laughed.

"Micky, you can't believe him," Davy said. "You can't believe that he's not going to just kill us anyway."

"You sign that contract and you won't care what happens to us," Peter added. "You won't be human anymore."

"Please, Micky," Davy pled. "I'd rather be dead than see that happen to you."

"You know what?" the Devil said smiling. "My patience has worn thin." He snapped his fingers and disappeared before Micky could run across the room and reach him again.

"Micky!" Peter yelled. "Davy!" His voice was panicked and strangled and Micky turned to see a new chain had appeared around Davy's throat. And it was getting tighter.

"No!" Micky yelled and ran to try and pull the chain away from his friend's neck. But it was steel and no match for Micky, no matter how much strength his anger had given him. He pulled with all his might, but the chains got even tighter. Micky could hear a sickening rattling noise from Davy as he arched and contorted his body as best as he could to try and get air into his lungs.

"Davy, no," Peter was sobbing uncontrollably trying to break free of the chains around him.

"Let him go!" Micky screamed. Davy's face was turning blue and he wasn't fighting as hard anymore. "Don't do this! I may not be able to kill you, but I swear if you kill him and I will make you suffer for the rest of my life!"

"Sign my contract," the Devil's voice said from everywhere and nowhere at once. Micky stared into Davy's eyes and knew what he was thinking. Davy was pleading with Micky not to sign the contract. And then Davy went limp and Micky crumbled even further. He sank to the ground on his knees and sobbed. He felt broken and everything else around him didn't matter. Noises were deafened and his world felt like it was falling apart. Mike was dead and now Davy was dead. A small spark was ignited inside him as he realized that Peter was still alive. He jumped up and started trying to pull on the chains binding Peter to the wall, but Micky couldn't do anything to these chains either.

"Micky," Peter sobbed. "Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without you," Micky said trying harder to pull on the chains. Finally the wall itself cracked and the chains loosened enough for Micky to help pull Peter out of them. Micky grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him toward the stairs. He didn't want to leave Mike and Davy behind, but he had to save Peter. He couldn't lose Peter, too. They ran up the stairs two at a time, but froze at the top when the Devil appeared in front of them.

"Where do you think you're going?" the Devil asked smiling. He reached out and pushed Micky back. Micky tried to stop himself from falling, but he fell right into Peter and the two of them tumbled down the stairs. Micky felt his head crack on the ground and his head exploded with pain.

"Peter, you ok?" Micky asked pushing himself up from the ground. He got no response from Peter and his heart sank. Peter lay next to him facing the opposite direction. And he didn't appear to be breathing. "Peter?" Micky grabbed Peter and turned his face to look at him. His eyes were open, but they were blank.

"Well, isn't that interesting," the Devil laughed walking down the stairs. "Looks like a broken neck. I didn't even mean for that to happen."

"NO!" Micky screamed.

"Why don't I give you some space with your friends," the Devil said. "You can join me after. You need time to mourn their losses." Micky was too distraught to fight back. He couldn't have anyway as the Devil disappeared. Micky collapsed on top of Peter and began sobbing uncontrollably into his chest that wasn't moving anymore. All his friends were dead and there wasn't a thing he could do to help them.


	39. Vengeance

Author's Note: Let me know what you think.

Chapter 39: Vengeance

Mike led Peter and Davy to the basement door. He didn't even bother trying to open it because he knew it wouldn't budge if he tried. Peter was still a little shaky, but he was trying to stand firm. Davy stood next to him and kept his hand on Peter's back trying to silently tell Peter that everything was going to be ok. Mike was still filled with such rage over what the Devil and Barbas had done to Peter and he knew that he was going to do whatever it took to make them pay. Mike took the potion that would break the spell holding the door closed out of his pocket and prepared to throw it. He froze when he heard a horrible scream emanate from the basement.

"Micky?" Peter said sounding very choked. Mike threw the potion at the door and saw the door shine with the same white light that Peter's door had when the spell broke. He rushed as fast as he could to open the door and climb down the stairs not knowing what was happening to Micky. The only thing he knew was the scream that had come from the basement had come from Micky and it was enough to stop Mike's heart. It had been the worst sound he'd ever heard in his entire life; a tortured, pained scream that had come from one of his best friends. Micky was lying on the ground at the bottom of the stairs sobbing uncontrollably. Mike had no idea what had happened, but he knew he had to figure it out as quickly as he could.

"Micky, what happened?" Mike said kneeling on the ground next to his friend.

"No," Micky said through his sobs.

"Micky?" Davy asked as he and Peter kneeled next to Micky as well.

"No, this isn't happening," Micky mumbled. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Peter asked.

"Micky, I need you to focus for a minute," Mike said. "Whatever happened down here isn't real."

"It was real enough to him," said a voice behind them. Mike stood up and faced the Devil. His fists clenched and he had to admit he felt a small sense of enjoyment seeing the Devil's bloody nose.

"What did you do to him?" Mike asked.

"I made him an offer," the Devil said. "Which he declined. So I showed him his greatest fear."

"Which is what?" Davy demanded.

"Your deaths," the Devil said with a smile on his face.

"What?!" Peter breathed before turning back to Micky. "Micky, we aren't dead. We're fine."

"I doubt he can really hear you," the Devil laughed. "Right now he's weeping on your dead body. Or what he thinks is your dead body."

"Why can't he hear us?" Mike demanded.

"Oh, it's nothing I did to him if that's what you're thinking?" the Devil laughed. "It's psychological trauma. He witnessed each of you die. He felt your lives leave through his own hands. I didn't think Barbas could create an illusion that powerful, but he is very good."

"Micky, we aren't dead," Davy said trying to pull him out.

"It was just an illusion," Peter said.

"What did you do to him?" Mike demanded of the Devil trying to calm himself down without much success.

"I just told you: he watched you die," the Devil said. "You first. He held you after I stabbed you in the heart. It wasn't a quick death either. I must say I was excited when Barbas told me I could interact with the illusion to make it more realistic."

"That's what happened to your face then?" Mike asked. "Micky clocked you?"

"Yes," the Devil chuckled. "I didn't expect that and it pissed me off. Davy died next because of that. It was so much fun to watch Micky try and save him. To watch him struggle to try and pull the chains away from Davy's throat only to fail was priceless. That image alone will give me so much joy for years."

"You are a sadistic little-" Mike started feeling himself begin to shake with rage.

"Watch it," the Devil laughed. "I really don't know how you were able to overcome your fear so quickly, boys. But I must say that you are much more formidable than I thought."

"We beat you," Davy said. "We will always beat you. You might as well give up."

"Don't you see it?" the Devil laughed. "I got what I wanted. To see you suffer your fears and be in such anguish gives me satisfaction like I've never felt before. Then to see Micky crumble to pieces after falling down the stairs with Peter and realizing Peter snapped his neck. I admit that I had hoped that the fun would last a lot longer, but I still enjoy what I have gotten out of it."

"Ok, so you made us suffer," Peter said tearfully. "Are you going to leave us alone now?"

"Why would I when the fun has just begun?" the Devil smirked. "You boys have made a laughing stock out of me. The offer I made to Micky was real. And I'm betting that he's close to accepting it. Whether he knows it or not."

"What are you talking about?" Mike demanded, fear growing in him again but this time for his friend. "What offer?"

"The reason I was so interested in Peter's soul in the first place is because he had so much purity and innocence about him and so little evil," the Devil answered with a smirk. "Every person has good and evil in him. Every man has a demon in him just itching to get out. Some have more good than others. Some have more evil than others. The balance Peter has is very rare. With each tragic event in someone's life, the demon that lives inside him goes stronger. Now I'm betting that Micky's demons just grew significantly stronger. The tragedy of seeing your best friends murdered before your very eyes and not being able to do anything to save them is one of the worst things that can happen. It's a life changing event. An event that strengthens the evil within someone."

"Stop playing around and tell me what offer you made him," Mike demanded growing very uncomfortable with the Devil's narrative. He couldn't imagine what going through something like that would do to Micky even if he realized it had been an illusion.

"I told him the truth," the Devil answered. "I told him that he is the only mortal to have ever hurt me and because of that, I decided that he is stronger and more powerful than I gave him credit for. And that he would be an asset to me."

"An asset to you?" Mike echoed. "You want him to join you? To team up with you?"

"What better way to make you boys suffer and gain a powerful ally than to turn Micky into a demon?" the Devil laughed.

"How dare you," Mike growled. His whole body was literally quaking with anger and rage and he couldn't hold it in anymore. He charged for the Devil with every intention of making him suffer for everything he had done to Davy, to Peter, and now to Micky. But the Devil disappeared before Mike even reached him and Mike slammed into the wall instead. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist, but he didn't care. He slammed his fist into the wall and broke it.

"Mike, don't," Davy said coming up behind him. "Calm down. Micky needs us."

"I don't understand this," Mike said. "Why is this happening? What did he do to deserve this?"

"Nothing," Davy said. "None of us did anything to deserve this, Mike."

"Bad things sometimes happen to good people," Peter added. "But right now we need to help Micky. You need to pull it together. For Micky."

"Yeah," Mike said knowing Peter was right. He just felt so angry. He really didn't understand why they were being tortured like this. He wanted so desperately to shoulder his friend's pain so they wouldn't have to feel an ounce of it, but he knew that wasn't possible. He had to help Micky recover, or the Devil would really win. The Devil would really be able to get Micky's soul, and Mike would never be able to live with himself if he let that happen. He pushed himself up and made his way back over to Micky to try and help him.

"Micky, listen to us," Davy said turning back to Micky as well. "We aren't dead. What you saw wasn't real. It was an illusion; a trick played on you by the Devil."

"I'm so sorry," Micky said through tears.

"Micky, there's nothing to be sorry for," Mike said. "You didn't do anything wrong. I promise you."

"Your biggest fear is us dying?" Peter asked.

"I couldn't save you," Micky mumbled.

"Micky, listen to me carefully," Mike said touching Micky's arm. "We aren't dead. We're fine."

"I'm sorry, Mike," Micky said. "I'll make him pay for this."

"No," Mike said firmly thinking about what the Devil had said. The more angry Micky felt, the stronger the pull the Devil would have over him and the easier it would be for him to turn Micky. And Mike was not about to let that happen. "I want you to just focus for me. We aren't dead. We're alive. He didn't kill us."

"Micky, we're fine," Peter said. "If we weren't, we wouldn't be able to touch you."

"That's right," Davy said. "We're touching you. We're here. We're not dead."

"I touched you when you died," Micky mumbled. "I held you when you died, Mike."

"I'm not dead," Mike said. "He lied to you to get you to feel pain. He lied to you to get you to suffer. Don't let him win. Show him you're better than that. He thinks you're weak and can be turned evil. Prove him wrong. Show him you're better than that. Show him you're stronger than that."

"Look, Micky," Peter said. "There's no bodies. We aren't dead because it was an illusion. We've all had them. He's really good at making us think that what we've seen is real, but it isn't. You have to trust us."

"Would we ever lie to you?" Davy asked.

"If you were an illusion," Micky answered.

"But we're not," Peter said.

"Micky, you're fear is losing us," Mike said. "That was the illusion. Not this. Please believe me. We aren't dead. We're perfectly fine. I promise you."

"Promise," Micky repeated. "You wanted me to promise you that I wouldn't join him. No matter what happened. With your last breath you asked me to promise you, and I couldn't."

"Yeah, that sounds like something I would say," Mike said. "But I didn't, because it wasn't me. I'm not dead. I promise you that now, Micky. Look at me. I'm not dead."

"None of us are," Davy said.

"It was an illusion," Mike said holding Micky's face and forcing him to look directly into his eyes. "Barbas made you think we were being murdered, but we weren't." Something seemed to connect in Micky when he finally met Mike's eyes.

"Mike?" Micky asked.

"Yeah, Micky," Mike said offering a warm smile. It was hard because he still felt so angry at Barbas and the Devil, but at the same time it was easy because he was helping his friend. Micky jumped up and wrapped his arms around Mike with such force Mike almost fell backwards.

"I thought you were dead," Micky said holding on to Mike as though he would die if he let go.

"It's ok, Micky," Mike said. "It was an illusion. We were all fooled. But we're ok now. I promise. We're all ok."

"I was so sure I lost you," Micky breathed.

"Come on, Micky, I'm harder to get rid of than that," Mike joked trying to make things a little easier. "You know how stubborn I am."

"I'm sorry," Micky said.

"Stop that," Mike answered. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything. Why don't we go upstairs? This is over now." Micky slowly pulled away from Mike and nodded. Peter and Davy helped him stand and they walked up the stairs to the kitchen. When they got upstairs they saw all the bricks around the house had disappeared.

"They're gone!" Davy exclaimed running over the door to open it. "The bricks are gone! We're free!"

"Are we really?" Mike asked. "He's just gonna keep coming after us. I for one say we go on the offensive. Take the fight to him now. I'm done playing his games. He messed with you guys in the worst way and he will answer to that."

"How?" Micky asked. "He's immortal. He can't be killed."

"So we make him suffer like he's made us suffer," Mike answered. "Like he made you suffer."

"I don't think vengeance is very healthy," Peter said.

"It's not so much vengeance," Mike answered. "It's taking back our lives. What he did to you guys pisses me off, yes, but we need to show him that we aren't to be messed with."

"I agree with Mike," Davy said. "I saw how miserable you guys were and it makes me angry, too. I really want to kick this jerks butt now."

"What happened to you guys?" Micky asked quietly. He still appeared to be quite shaken from his experience and Mike wasn't sure he wanted to tell Micky what they had been through for fear it would make him worse.

"We lived through our fears," Peter answered. "And we fought them."

"What were they?" Micky asked.

"Don't worry about that right now," Mike answered quickly before anyone else could tell him.

"Tell me," Micky said.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Mike asked. "The Devil was really trying to get to you. He said he was trying to turn you. I don't want to make things worse for you."

"I'm fine," Micky answered. "I couldn't promise you before that I wouldn't join him, but I can now." Mike sighed and reluctantly told Micky what had happened to him and Peter. Micky looked a little blank the whole time and it made Mike worry about his mental state. How close was Micky to turning bad and succumbing to the Devil? Should Mike be worried or was Micky just so weakened from his experience that he seemed emotionless?

"Micky, are you sure you're ok?" Mike asked.

"Fine," Micky answered with a heavy sigh. "I'm just…tired. Physically and emotionally exhausted."

"I think we all kind of are," Peter said. "Which is why we shouldn't be making any rash decisions now. We should all just get some rest."

"I don't want to be here right now," Micky said. "I want some air."

"Well, we're free to go, so why don't we go down to the beach for a while," Davy suggested. "That always relaxes me." They all agreed to sit on the beach and relax after their ordeal, but Mike didn't change his mind. He would admit only to himself that it was partly vengeance on his mind: how dare the Devil make Davy think he was just a pretty face. How dare he make Peter think he could ever cause any harm to his friends. And most of all, how dare he make Micky think they'd died in his arms. Mike cared about his friends too much to let him get away with this; he cared too much to let this continue. Whether he had to face the Devil alone or with them, he didn't care. He would do whatever it took to make sure they wouldn't face any more forms of torture. Even if he had to sacrifice himself. He would not fail to keep them safe and to avenge them.


	40. Plan of Attack

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. Had a huge writers block for both of my fics that I just couldn't get past till now.

Chapter 40: Plan of Attack

"Micky, are you sure you're feeling ok?" Mike asked the next morning as the two of them woke up. Micky nearly snapped back that he was fine because he was getting a little irritated that Mike kept asking him. Neither of them had slept well, which was understandable, but every time Mike had woken up and seen Micky awake, he'd asked him the same question. Micky had to remind himself that Mike was concerned about him, and considering that Mike's greatest fear was failing them, Micky couldn't fault Mike for wanting so much to make sure that they were all ok. So instead of snapping at him, Micky took a deep breath and slowly answered.

"I'm fine, Mike," Micky answered. "Neither of us are sleeping all that well."

"I know," Mike answered. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know you are," Micky answered getting out of bed. "But I'm fine. I just need a little time."

"I understand," Mike answered also getting out of bed. "But you know I'm here if you need to talk."

"I know," Micky answered. Not wanting to talk about it at all anymore, he walked downstairs to take a shower. When he finished and walked into the living room, he realized that Mike, Peter and Davy all suddenly stopped talking. Which meant they were talking about him. Micky sighed and walked right past them up to his room without saying anything. He really didn't want to deal with this. He lay down on his bed, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw those images flood through his mind again. Mike in his arms bleeding to death. Davy choking to death. Peter on the ground with a broken neck. No matter what he did, he couldn't erase what he'd seen from his mind. Because of this, Micky only really slept for about 15 minutes at a time which made him really tired. Micky was about to fall asleep again when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Micky?" Mike asked poking his head in carefully. Even though his eyes were still closed and he was still lying on the bed, Micky could tell Davy and Peter were right behind him.

"Look," Micky said too tired and frustrated to keep himself from snapping angrily at his friends this time. "I get that you are all concerned about me, but please stop asking if I'm ok. I'm fine. I can't sleep, so I'm tired. I'm sure none of you are sleeping either. So how about you all just drop it and leave me alone!"

"Ok, we get it," Mike said defensively. "We all went through a lot, and that's why I want to suggest that we take care of this."

"Take care of this?" Micky echoed.

"Kick the Devil's butt," Davy said.

"I don't know, guys," Peter said. "I don't think it's such a good idea to do this."

"You really want to go after the Devil after what he just did to us?" Micky asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Mike answered. "What he did to you guys is unforgivable. He needs to be stopped."

"And what makes you think that we would survive?" Micky demanded. "You seriously want to throw us directly into harm's way?"

"Of course I don't want to do that!" Mike defended. "But I am not just going to stand by and do nothing while he attacks us!"

"You haven't seen what he can do," Micky snapped, the image of Mike bleeding flashing through his mind. Mike and the others were silent for a moment. Mike sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Look, I know what you saw was bad, Micky," Mike said calmly. "But by bringing the fight to him, we take him by surprise and we have the upper hand."

"The upper hand against a demon?" Micky asked. "That's not much."

"You were able to hurt him," Mike said. "Twice. So we know it's possible to hurt him. If we hurt him enough, he'll back off and leave us alone. Until then, I'm not going to be able to sleep because I'll be too busy wondering if the Devil is going to turn you into a demon tomorrow."

"Are you going to go fight him alone if we don't go with you?" Micky asked.

"If I have to," Mike said.

"Mike, that would be dangerous," Peter said. "Please don't do that."

"I am not going to let anything else happen to you," Mike said. "I plan on talking to Piper and doing as much preparation as I can on this."

"I agree with Peter," Micky said. "I think this is more of a vengeance thing. You want to go after him because you want him to pay for what he did to us. That's not a good reason to go against him. With intentions like that, you're only going to get yourself hurt."

"We _do_ need to stop him," Davy said.

"I also agree there," Micky sighed. "I'll tell you what: I'll agree to do this if you calm down and lay off the vengeance motive. I am not going to have that illusion come true. If you go into this with a vengeful mind, you're going just have a clouded mind and not be able to think clearly which will get you killed."

"I don't know," Peter said slowly. "I still don't like it. I don't want to fight anyone. Especially after what just happened."

"He's not human, Peter," Davy pointed out. "And if we don't do something, he's going to do a lot worse to us than we could do to him."

"I understand that," Peter said. "But I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of this."

"If we sit around and do nothing waiting for the next attack, we're just going to get hurt anyway," Mike pointed out. "Probably even worse. I don't want anyone getting hurt either, but we have to do this. We aren't really left with much of a choice here."

"I guess not," Peter finally admitted.

"Micky?" Mike asked. "Are you in?"

"I guess I have to be," Micky said. "Let's go talk to Piper. Tell her what happened and hope she can help us figure out a way to get to him. It won't be easy and it won't be pretty, but we will die if we go in unprepared. And remember what I said about having a clear mind, Mike." He wasn't happy about it, but there was no way he'd let his friends go after the Devil alone. He would not let his illusion come true. He would die long before they ever did.

* * *

Down in the Underworld, the Devil was finally happy. He'd finally been able to at least make them suffer. Yes, he would have enjoyed it so much more if he could have prolonged their suffering, but he'd take whatever victory he could get right now. But he'd also learned something from the ordeal; these boys would make powerful allies. All these boys had been able to overcome and fight him in the past. That meant they were not to be fooled around with or taken lightly. They each had their own strengths and they would each make formidable demons. If he could somehow turn each of them, not only would he gain powerful minions to do his dirty work, but he would also see their souls suffer for the rest of eternity.

The one thing that protected them was their bond. Without that bond, they would easily crumble and succumb to their inner darkness. If he could figure out a way to break that bond, he could break them and he would get what he wanted. He paced his chambers thinking of a way to accomplish this task, but he realized their bond was just too strong. Especially after what he'd just put them through. He couldn't break them by pitting them against each other and nothing else would work. The only thing that would work would be to make sure they had never met in the first place. But that would entail going back in time, and he didn't have that power. He searched his brain for a demon that did have that power and how he could get the demon to do his dirty work.

The demon Tempus had been killed years ago, so he wouldn't be able to help. There were several other demons that could open time portals, but the portals were not reliable. You often would never know where or when you would end up, and that wouldn't do for the Devil. He had to figure out a way he could go back in time and split the quartet up before they ever met. Then their bond would never have been formed and he could bend them to his will a lot easier. Then it hit him: there was one being that could do exactly what he wanted, but he knew convincing him wouldn't be easy. This was not a being to be trifled with. He would be hard to find and track down and it would be even harder to convince him to assist the Devil. But the Devil would have to figure that out as he searched for him.

* * *

"Are you guys sure you want to do this?" Piper asked setting a stack of books on the table in her shop. They had come over an hour earlier and told her what had happened and what their new plans were.

"Yes," Mike said firmly trying to sound confident despite the fact his stomach was knotted in fear. Fear more for his friends than himself.

"You can't kill him," Piper said. "He's immortal."

"We understand that," Mike answered. "But if we can do something to get him to leave us alone, we have to do it."

"Ok," Piper said. "If your mind is set on this, then at least let me help."

"That's why we're here," Micky said. "We need you to tell us whatever you can about how to get to him and how to hurt him."

"That's not what I meant," Piper said. "There's no way you're going to get anywhere near him without me. I'm going with you. The Underworld is a very dangerous place full of demons and other terrible creatures you wouldn't even be able to dream up in your worst nightmares."

"I don't want you getting hurt," Micky argued.

"I'll be fine," Piper answered. "I haven't been to the Underworld often, but I've been a few times while chasing a demon or two. Trust me; you would not be able to survive without me. The Underworld can play lots of tricks with magic. I can't even guarantee that my powers would work well enough down there, but I can get you out if things start to look bad, and I can do what I can with spells and potions. You need me."

"Alright, fine," Mike said before Micky could argue with her. Mike knew Micky didn't really want to do this and bringing his girlfriend with him into such a dangerous place would surely set him off even more, but Mike knew Piper was right: they'd never make it out without her. He tried not to look at Micky, but he could feel the glare Micky shot him across the table. "Start telling us what we need to know."

"First, I can't bring you down there myself," she answered. "You're mortals with no powers, so you'll need a special passage into the Underworld and I doubt that even then you'd be brought near the Devil. Which means you'll need to navigate through the Underworld till you find him."

"So how do we get to him?" Davy asked. "How do we get this special passage?"

"We should be able to get passage into the Underworld from Charon," Piper said.

"Charon?" Peter asked. "You mean the Greek ferryman?"

"That's the one," Piper answered.

"Who's that?" Davy asked.

"In ancient Greece, Charon would transport the souls of the recently deceased into Hades across the river Styx," Peter answered. "But I thought that was just mythology."

"Well, most people don't think demons and witches exist either," Piper said with a slight smile.

"So how do we get in touch with this Charon person?" Mike asked. "I really don't want to have to die to get in contact with him."

"We don't have to," Piper answered. "There is a spell to summon him, but we'd have to do it in an area of death."

"What does that mean?" Davy asked.

"A graveyard," Micky answered. "If I recall, don't we have to pay him or something? They put coins in the mouths of the dead to act as payment, right?"

"Yes, but I have a friend who can give us some," Piper said. "We don't have to worry about that. What you have to worry about is how you're going to traverse through the Underworld and how you're going to fight the Devil. You have no powers, so you'll have to compensate in another way. Until I say you guys are ready, I'm not going to summon Charon."

"How do we compensate?" Peter asked. "More potions like the one we used on the doors at the house?"

"Yes," Piper answered. "I can definitely make some potions for you all and teach you what they are used for, but you'll also need knowledge. And most importantly, clear heads. You cannot afford to have any sense of hesitation. You also cannot afford to have your bond weaken at all. Got it? Mike? Micky?"

"Why are you singling us out?" Micky asked.

"Because you are the one only one sending Mike eye daggers," Piper answered as she walked in between another set of shelves to get more books. Mike grabbed a book off the top of the stack to absently flip through it and said absolutely nothing. He knew why Micky was mad at him. Mike wouldn't stop asking him if he was ok or pressuring him to talk about his feelings. Mike knew he should back off and let his friend handle it on his own, but Micky was just so worried about Micky. He kept saying he was fine, but Mike knew better. How could someone be fine after seeing what he saw, even if he had rationalized that it was an illusion.

"You guys ok?" Peter asked looking between the two of them.

"We're fine," Micky said pushing himself up from the table rather hastily and walking to the other side of the shop. Mike sighed and threw the book back on the top of the stack. He knew Micky was trying to avoid them and he knew that Piper was right about them having to deal with this so he followed Micky to the back of the store. He heard Peter start to get up to follow them, but Piper came out from in between bookshelves with more books in her arms.

"Peter, sit down and start reading," she said. "Let them work this out alone."

"Micky," Mike said walking up to him. "We need to talk. Piper's right. You're mad at me and I know exactly why. I'm sorry I keep bugging you, but I am just worried about you."

"I know you are, but I really don't want to talk about it," Micky said.

"Can you at least just admit that you're not fine?" Mike asked.

"Is that really that important to you?" Micky said. "If you already know I'm not."

"Yes, it is," Mike answered. "It's very important to me. I need to know that you accept it. That you're not just trying to bury this and that you're at least trying to deal with it."

"Ok, if it means that much to you," Micky sighed. "I'm not fine, ok. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes I see those images in my head. I can't stop seeing your deaths. I'm trying to deal with it, but I don't know how."

"I can't imagine what that's like, Micky," Mike admitted. "And I want to help you, but I don't know how either. I have to hope that this…what we're about to do…will be the only thing that will help us all."

"If we don't die," Micky snapped.

"If we stick to this plan and work things out, we should be fine," Mike said.

"Oh, and while we're on this working things out thing," Micky started rather angrily, "for you to agree to bring my girlfriend with us into what is probably going to be our deaths for real without even consulting me, was just…"

"It was wrong," Mike interrupted. "I know. I'm really sorry. But you know as well as I do she's right. We have a much better chance of surviving and succeeding with her with us. I only did it because I didn't want to waste time arguing about it."

"I know you're both right, but I wish you would have consulted me," Micky said.

"I'm sorry," Mike said. "I promise next time I'll talk to you first. I just really want this to work. For all of us."

"I know you do," Micky answered. "I just really don't want illusion to become reality. I really don't know what I'd do without you guys."

"Me neither," Mike said. "Look, I'll admit that part of this is being driven by vengeance. I'm pissed that this has happened to you guys. I'm pissed that Peter was made to think he'd hurt you and that Davy was made to think that he'd end up alone and miserable. And I'm extremely pissed that he made you think we had all been killed. I want him to suffer for what he did to you. I want him to pay for it, but I also want this all to stop. By doing this and going after him, I get both."

"You're forgetting yourself," Micky said. "You're forgetting to be pissed at what he did to you."

"I don't care about that so much," Mike said.

"Yeah, well the rest of us do," Micky said. "That's part of your problem. You never think about yourself. You don't really take time for yourself. You always put us before yourself and honestly I'm so afraid that is going to end up getting you hurt or killed. Can you for once think about your own welfare here? If you're going to go into this and not think about your welfare at all, I'm not going to let you go. Can you promise me that you're not going to sacrifice yourself for us?"

"Micky…" Mike started. He wasn't really sure he could make that promise.

"Promise you're going to fight alongside us and not for us," Micky said.

"I promise," Mike answered.


	41. Armed

Author's Note: This is for Plushie. Hope you like it!

Chapter 41: Armed

Micky and the others spent the next several days helping Piper make potions and learning what each of them were used for. Piper had also called a friend of hers and asked for the coins for Charon and some extra weaponry. When Peter had realized that they would have to bring weapons with them, he grew even more on edge than before. Micky knew he was still having a hard time dealing with what he'd seen in his own illusion and for him to suddenly go and have to hurt someone else bothered him. Even though he knew that the Devil and anything else they may come across wasn't exactly human and that he would only be doing it to protect himself and his friends.

"That'll be my friend," Piper said as they heard a knock at the door. She got up and walked toward the door followed by Mike so he could help her carry the weapons inside. It was late at night and the store had long since closed up, but the boys had stayed to do as much reading as they could on magic and the Underworld. It was weird to Micky to know that everything he heard about as a kid about magic and myths were real. He wasn't really sure if they would ever be able to get back to their lives as normal once this was all over. Then again, they had faced off with aliens, vampires and other monsters, and an evil monkey paw curse in the past. Piper and Mike came back a moment later carrying a trunk between them.

"What's all in there?" Davy asked peering at the trunk.

"Weapons," Piper answered. "My friend collects them. They're all enchanted and we can really use the extra support."

"Enchanted?" Peter asked hesitantly. The thought of using weapons was going to bad enough in and of itself for Peter, but the fact that they were even more powerful with enchantments had to make things worse. Micky wished he knew what he could say to make Peter feel better about all this.

"Any of you know how to use a sword?" Piper asked pulling a very old yet sturdy looking sword out of the trunk complete with its leather sheath.

"I do," Davy said. "I took some fencing lessons back in England."

"Well then you can carry this," she said handing the sword to Davy. "It's enchanted. It gives the wielder extra speed and strength."

"Cool," Davy said.

"Why don't you try it out?" Piper said going into the back room. She came back out a moment later holding a couple pineapples. She set several on the table but held one in her hand and made a gesture as though she were going to throw it at Davy

"You want me to stab the pineapple in midair?" Davy asked.

"Do whatever feels right," Piper said. "The sword is enchanted. It'll help you. Just do whatever feels right."

"Ok," Davy said and took a deep breath holding the sword out in front of him. A split second after Piper threw the pineapple at him, Davy cut the blade through the air and Mike, Peter and Micky all jumped a little as the pineapple was sliced cleanly in half.

"Whoa," Peter breathed. "That was actually kind of cool."

"What else is in there?" Mike asked.

"That sword Davy has is a rapier," Piper said. "It's used more for lighter attacks requiring more agility than speed. This, however," she said pulling another sword out of the trunk, "is a claymore sword. It's enchanted to bring the wielder strength and endurance. Mike, you wanna try it out?"

"Sure, but you aren't going to throw a pineapple at me, are you?" Mike asked. "Cause that looks too heavy to hit a moving object."

"It's enchanted, Mike," Piper laughed. "Just try it."

"We're just gonna back up a little," Micky laughed as he and Peter backed really far away from Mike.

"Alright, but don't blame me if I break something," Mike said hefting the heavy looking sword with both hands. Piper smiled and tossed the pineapple at Mike. He hesitated for just a split second, but then he swung the sword and the pineapple was sliced in half. It wasn't as neat and clean as Davy, but it was still pretty impressive.

"Wow, this thing is amazing," Mike said looking appreciatively at the sword. "I don't think I ever could have done that."

"Just be really careful with that," Micky said. "Don't get too excited and gouge someone's eye out."

"Trust me," Mike said putting the sword on the table, "I am not going to use that unless absolutely necessary.

"Micky, I think this one will work for you," Piper said pulling a large, thin knife out of the trunk along with a large satchel. "This is a stiletto and these are throwing knives. They go well together and since you threw that knife at the Devil and got him, it should work well for you. The stiletto is enchanted to give you added agility and mental acumen."

"Mental acumen?" Mike echoed.

"It means it will heighten his senses a little," Peter answered.

"There's that, and it will also give him a little foresight," Piper added. "And the agility will let him move as fast and spryly as he may need to in order to get close enough to cause damage."

"What about the throwing knives?" Micky asked taking both from her.

"They'll give you a little bit of added resistance," Piper answered. "Basically, you'll be nimble, quick, can throw harder, aim better, and can take more blows without getting hurt."

"Well that could be useful," Mike said.

"Wanna see how well you can aim?" Piper asked grabbing another pineapple.

"Sure," Micky said opening the satchel to grab a throwing knife. "Well, I guess I'll have to use these sparingly. There's only 2 in here."

"Oh, no," Piper said. "The bag itself is enchanted. It'll refill itself. Watch. Take one out." Micky shrugged and took one of the knives out and watched in amazement as another one appeared at the bottom of the bag.

"Well that's handy," Micky said.

"It's designed so it doesn't weigh you down while you carry it," Piper said. "These weapons were all used by witches in the middle ages to fight demons and other monsters. Fear and paranoia ran rampant back then and the demons absolutely loved that, so it was a lot more common to meet one while walking down a dark alley in the middle of the night."

"That sounds terrible," Peter said.

"Demons feed off fear and pain," Piper said. "Remember that when we're down there. You ready to try this, Micky?"

"Yeah, go ahead," Micky said. He noticed Davy and Mike both moved behind him for fear of getting hit on accident. Not that Micky blamed them. He held the throwing knife in his hand and it seemed as though it got lighter. He watched as Piper threw the pineapple in the air and it seemed to slow down as he tried to take aim. He felt instincts kick over and threw the knife a few inches in front of where the pineapple currently was and felt a surge of adrenaline and excitement as the knife pierced the pineapple and stuck it to the wall.

"Wow," Mike said walking up to inspect the stuck pineapple. "That's some power. You mad a pineapple kebab."

"Peter, I think this will work for you," Piper said.

"I'm not sure I want a weapon," Peter said backing away a little.

"Peter, I know you really don't want to fight, but you have to remember what we'll be fighting isn't human," Mike said calmly.

"And they're trying to kill us," Davy added. "If we don't do this, the Devil is going to keep coming after us and he's going to try and turn Micky into a demon. I know you don't want that."

"Of course I don't," Peter mumbled. "I just don't want to accidently hurt one of you."

"You won't," Micky said. "I have enough trust in you that I know you won't hurt any of us. We all trust you with our lives, Peter. I don't want to do this either, but we have to. And if you don't go down there armed and ready to defend yourself, you could end up getting hurt. Or worse."

"Don't worry, Peter," Piper said. "I was going to give you a crossbow. The trigger is stiff so there's really no way you could accidentally set it off."

"Are you sure?" Peter asked.

"Positive," Piper said pulling an old looking crossbow out of the trunk. "Besides, the enchantment on it could really benefit us a lot. It was used by hunters, so they enchanted it to heighten their senses dramatically. You could hear a twig snap in a dense forest and see through a thicket of trees in the darkness. As well as smell a beast coming from miles away. You'll know if there's a demon near us before the rest of us and could prepare us for it."

"Really?" Peter asked taking the crossbow still somewhat tentatively.

"Yep," Piper said. "It was to help them hunt and hit their targets better even in the worst of circumstances."

"You want to try it out, Peter?" Micky asked.

"I don't know," Peter said slowly staring at the crossbow in his hands.

"You aren't going to hurt anyone," Mike said.

"You don't know that," Peter said.

"We'll all stand behind you," Davy said. "You really should get a feel for it so you know how it works if we need it."

"Ok," Peter finally said and hefted the crossbow. Once Micky, Mike and Davy were all safely behind him, Piper tossed the last pineapple at Peter. He pulled the trigger on the crossbow and nailed the pineapple right in the center and the arrow from the crossbow landed in the wall next to Micky's throwing knife.

"Nice," Davy said. "I'd call that a bullseye!"

"Do these arrows magically reload too?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Piper said. "You don't have to worry about running out of bolts."

"Well, I think we're about ready as we're ever gonna be," Mike said moving to pull the arrow and knife out of the wall. "And I think you're gonna need some repair work on your wall."

"We can take care of it when this is all over," Micky offered.

"Don't worry about it," Piper said. "It'll get taken care of when it gets taken care of."

"Ok, so are the coins in there, too?" Mike asked peering inside the trunk.

"Yes," Piper said.

"What about you?" Micky asked. "Are you going down there with a weapon?"

"I have my magic," Piper answered. "I'll be fine."

"I thought you said your powers won't work that well down there," Micky said. "I don't want you getting hurt because of us."

"I appreciate your concern, Micky," she said giving him a small kiss on the cheek that made him blush a little. "But I'll be fine. The powers may not work perfectly, but they'll work enough to help me in a pinch. Don't worry about me."

"I worry about _all_ of us," Micky answered.

"I know you do," Piper answered. "You guys should go home and get some sleep. We can go tomorrow morning. Oh, I almost forgot!" Piper dashed into the back room again and reemerged with four chains that she handed to each of them. From each chain hung a pendant: a dark green stone with a strange symbol carved into it. "These are protection amulets. Wear them tomorrow and they'll help keep you protected."

"We'll help you get cleaned up," Mike said moving to pick up the pineapples.

"Don't worry about it," Piper smiled. "I'll clean it up. Probably have some pineapple juice ready for you in the morning."

"It's really no trouble," Mike said.

"I know," Piper answered. "But you guys all need your sleep. Just relax and go home. You need to be well rested tomorrow."

"So do you," Micky pointed out picking up half a pineapple off the floor. "Since you insist on going with us, at least let us help you out here."

"Alright," Piper laughed. "I concede." Together they spent the next 15 minutes cleaning up the pineapples off the ground and the wall before the boys returned home for a well-deserved night's sleep.

* * *

The Devil appeared in another chamber in the Underworld. He'd tried to send word to the demon he was seeking help from, but the demon had rebuffed his attempts at summoning him. So now he was trying to seek out the demon to request an audience with him. He knew it wouldn't be easy to find him, but he had to try. Getting this demon to send him back in time was the Devil's only hope of breaking up the Monkees and destroying their bond once and for all. Then he'd be able to turn them and bend them to his will.

But the demon he was after would be hard to convince. He'd have to use every ounce of his charm to sway this demon. This demon hated other demons. He was far from being an ordinary demon; he was much more than that. He was a lot older and a lot wiser than most other demons and that was the reason why it would be harder to get his help. But the Devil had to try. And that meant traversing through the oldest parts of the Underworld to try and get to him and passing some of the oldest demons still alive. But in the end it would all be worth it. He had to convince this demon to help him. Failure was not an option. This was the only way to get what he really wanted.


	42. Charon

Author's Note: I have a friend I met on here who's going through some medical stuff right now. She needs some prayers. Even though I am not religious, I still think saying prayers for someone helps send positive vibes and energy their way. Thanks everyone. I know she'll appreciate it.

Chapter 42: Charon

"Are we ready?" Mike asked as the four of them gathered at the entrance of a graveyard waiting for Piper.

"This is really creepy," Davy said peering carefully into the graveyard. It sent chills up Mike's spine too and the thought of walking through it made him shiver a little.

"Do we really have to go in there?" Peter asked a little higher pitched than normal.

"Unfortunately," Micky answered staring into the cemetery. "I don't like it either, but we have to do this."

"We have to get this over with," Mike agreed taking a deep breath. Piper joined them a minute later and handed each of them a coin. On one side of the coin there was what appeared to be an image of the head of Medusa and on the other side was a weird looking anchor.

"How did you guys sleep?" Piper asked as she handed the coins out to each of them.

"Fitfully," Micky answered.

"To be expected," Piper answered offering him a comforting smile. "You're all under a lot of stress right now."

"These look weird," Davy said eyeing the coin he was given.

"These are the coins to give to Charon," Piper said. "Don't lose these. If you don't give him one, he won't take you anywhere and I only have 5."

"Got it," Micky said shoving his in his pocket. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"Positive," Piper answered grabbing his hand. Mike pulled the weapons out of his car and they each carried a small backpack with basic first aid supplies and the potions they had made in preparation. Piper carried a slightly larger backpack that Mike guessed had other potions and ingredients to make more if needed. "Shall we?" Peter groaned a little and Davy whimpered. Mike knew both were scared and felt a pang of guilt hit him. This had been his idea and it was motivated by anger and revenge, but now he knew it was also an important necessity.

"Let's get this over with," Mike said. It was early enough in the morning where it was still slightly dark and no one would see them if they moved carefully. They didn't want to be drawing any attention; and luckily for them, no one was here this early in the morning. They walked through the cemetery staying very close to each other and made their way to a spot Piper had picked out earlier. It was next to a very large crypt and when they arrived, Piper immediately took candles out of her bag and arranged them in a circle.

"Ok, I found a spell to summon Charon," Piper said as she started lighting them. "It's in Latin, but basically it just asks him to come here and take us to Hades. Which is the same thing as the Underworld. I have to chant it three times."

"What does it say?" Micky asked looking at the piece of paper Piper had placed in front of her. Mike couldn't really see the words from his vantage point, but couldn't understand Latin anyway even if he could see it.

"I summon thee, Ferryman, come to my aid now, transport me into the depths, take me into Hades," Piper answered.

"So he'll take us right to the Devil and then we fight?" Davy asked.

"Not exactly," Piper answered. "All he can do is take us to the Underworld. Witches aren't even really allowed to be there, let alone you guys. We'll have to traverse through to find him. Charon might be able to bring us close, but we shouldn't plan on that. Charon is a neutral being. He is neither good nor bad so I really don't know if he'll help us or not."

"Ok, so since we may be down there for a while, we should get started," Mike said trying to ease the fear in his friends at least a little.

"Agreed," Piper said standing up. "Stay outside the circle and don't touch the candles." The boys nodded and backed away from the candles to let Piper perform the spell. She closed her eyes and started saying the spell in fluent Latin. "Ego vocare te, navita; Intende in adjutorium meum; Adhortantesque me profunda; Accipe me in infernum." She said this three times and suddenly the graveyard got really cold and a strong wind kicked up. Mike feared that the wind would blow out the candles, but soon realized this was supposed to happen. A fog circled around them and Mike started to shiver from the cold. He could see not only his breath mixing with the fog, but everyone else's too.

"Does it have to be this cold?" Peter mumbled trying to wrap his arms around himself to warm up. Mike was about to tell Peter to stay quiet when a man appeared in the fog. He looked ancient; his skin was barely hanging on to his bones and he appeared to have almost no muscle anymore.

"Charon?" Piper asked.

"You aren't dead," Charon said simply.

"No, we aren't," Piper answered stepping out of the circle of candles. "But we do need passage into the Underworld. We are seeking a demon."

"That is a mighty dangerous thing, young lady," Charon said almost paternally.

"I understand that," Piper said. "But I would not be able to summon you if I could not handle myself against demons."

"This is true," Charon said. "Not that it matters to me what fate befalls you. Which demon do you seek?"

"The demon known to mortals as the Devil," she answered.

"I see," Charon said. "And all 5 of you wish to make this trip?"

"Yes," Mike answered confidently gripping the sword now attached to his waist hoping that it showed they meant business.

"Well, I do not make the trip for free," Charon answered.

"We know," Micky said pulling the coin out of his pocket and handing it to Charon. Charon took it with a slow and shaky movement that reminded Mike of a very, very old man. Davy, Peter, Mike and Piper all handed their own coins to Charon carefully as though one wrong movement and the man would fall apart. It looked to Mike like if he even so much as stepped the wrong way, his bones would disintegrate.

"Watch your step," Charon said waving his arm to move the fog and reveal a small boat. "It is only designed for a few dead passengers, so the ride might be a little tight."

"We'll manage," Micky said as the five of them walked toward the boat. The boat was indeed very cramped when all five of them had taken a seat inside it, but Mike hoped the ride wouldn't take very long. Piper sat next to Micky and gripped his hand comfortingly and lovingly. The boat moved once they were all seated and it seemed to float as if it were truly on water. The fog around them grew thicker and thicker until they could no longer see anything around the boat. Peter shivered next to him as they felt the air get wet with the heightened fog added to the cold.

"I can take you as close to him as I can," Charon explained after a while. "But he is currently seeking out another demon as well."

"How do you know that?" Davy asked.

"Because I can see whoever I wish to see at any given time in the Underworld to decide where to take the dead," Charon answered.

"What demon is he seeking out?" Piper asked.

"All I know is that he is in the oldest part of the Underworld," Charon answered. "Only the worthy may pass through to it. You will have to face a series of tests in order to prove your worth in order to be granted access to him."

"Tests?" Peter asked. "What kind of tests?"

"I forgot my pencil," Micky joked.

"They are tests to prove your worth," Charon answered very unhelpfully. "That is all I can say."

"Prove our worth," Mike echoed trying to figure out what this mean. "So like strength and endurance tests?"

"I cannot tell you any more than what I already have," Charon said.

"What happens if we fail?" Davy asked.

"I will be coming back for you," Charon answered simply.

"So we die if we fail?" Peter asked rather scared.

"Are we still sure we want to do this?" Micky asked getting a little pale himself.

"Yes," Mike answered. "If he's already seeking out another demon, who knows what he's planning. We can't wait on this. We have to strike him down now before he has a chance to strike against us."

"Mike has a point," Piper said. "Especially if he's in the oldest part of the Underworld. The demons that live there are some of the nastiest demons alive. They've been alive for hundreds of thousands of years. If not longer. There's a reason they've been alive so long and since they have been alive for so long, they are much wiser and more powerful than others. I can't imagine what he may be thinking about doing to you all. We need to strike him down now before he gains a more powerful ally."

"What kinds of demons are we talking about here?" Micky asked.

"I honestly don't know," Piper said. "They don't usually even come to the surface. I've never come across them."

"Charon?" Mike asked hoping the man could be at least a little helpful. "Do you know what kinds of demons live there?"

"Of course I do," Charon answered. "They are as old as me. Some even older."

"That's helpful," Davy muttered.

"Let's just hope we don't have to find out," Piper said. "I don't think we'd be able to win against one of them."

"What happens if we come across one while looking for the Devil?" Peter asked.

"That's when I use my magic to get us out," Piper said. "But I doubt that they would even attack us."

"I don't understand," Davy started. "How come your magic can get us how but not into the Underworld?"

"It's complicated," Piper said. "It's like getting in and out of a locked room. You can't get in unless you have the key. But once you're inside, you don't need the key to get out. Charon is our key."

"You're sure you can get us out?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Piper answered firmly.

"Then we have to do this," Mike said. "We just need to have faith that we can pass these tests. I have no doubt that we will all be fine because we are stronger than he gives us credit for. That's why he wants to turn Micky into a demon. He knows we can beat him. He knows we can do this. We've won all his little games so far, why should now be any different? We are prepared and we are a team. Together we are always stronger than we are separate."

"Right," Micky, Davy, and Peter all said at the same time. The boat came to a stop and Charon stepped of motioning for the five of them to do so as well.

"Good luck," Charon said with a slight smile. Mike couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or if he was really wishing them luck, but he preferred not to think about it too much. They needed positive thoughts more than anything else right now. As soon as they got off the boat, the fog lifted and Charon disappeared. They were standing in a field of dead grass and dirt surrounded by a river. When he looked, however, he didn't see any water in the river. He couldn't tell what it was, but it flowed like water and rippled like water, but it looked like just dense fog.

"Don't touch that," Piper cautioned. "You touch it and you die in a second." Mike quickly backed away valuing his life more than his curiosity. He didn't want to take the chance of falling in or anything else.

"Guess there's only one direction to go," Micky said looking ahead of them.

"Then let's go," Davy said leading the way. Mike, Micky, Peter and Piper all followed him through the field. They couldn't see where it ended or if it led anywhere, but it was truly the only direction they could go; so they walked through it, each of them ready for anything that might appear from nowhere and attack them.


	43. Doors and Swamps

Author's Note: Read and review please.

Chapter 43: Doors and Swamps

Micky walked along the dead field with Piper close to him, Davy a little ways ahead and Peter and Mike alongside each other behind him. They had been walking for what felt like nearly an hour already and Micky was starting to feel worn out. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. The sky above them was covered with flat gray clouds and every once in a while off in the distance, Micky could see lightning spark through them. They were alone in this area, but Micky couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. He wondered how long they'd have to walk to get to their first test, or if this even was the first test. After a while, however, they could start to make out a large wall in the distance.

Once they got closer to the wall, they all stopped, alarmed by what they saw. There were two creatures standing in front of two doors holding shields, one red and one blue. It almost appeared as though there were two men with the heads of dogs hiding behind one shield; one head upside down coming out below it and another out of the top of the shield. The hands holding the shields only had three fingers and looked very beastly. Each creature was standing on two feet, but Micky could distinctly see a third foot hiding behind the top of the red one's shield making him think these creatures were in fact just two creatures: one upside down and one right side up hiding behind a shield. But he couldn't be sure. It was almost as though the creatures were standing guard in front of the doors.

"Uh…" Davy started nervously. "Hello?"

"Hello," one of the creatures responded in a slight Scottish accent.

"We're…uh…we're trying to get through," Mike said. "We're looking for someone."

"To get through, you have to go through one of these doors," the other creature said.

"Ok," Mike answered walking closer to them.

"Be careful!" the bottom head of one of the creatures exclaimed startling them all.

"One of these doors will take you where you want to go," said the fourth head.

"Where does the other one lead?" Peter asked.

"Certain death," all four heads answered in unison.

"Ok, which door leads to certain death?" Micky asked though he had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy.

"We can't tell you that," said head number 3.

"Why not?" Davy asked a little angrily.

"We don't know," said head 4. "But they do." Heads 3 and 4 looked up (or would it have been down?) at heads 1 and 2.

"Ok, why don't you tell us which door to go through?" Mike asked.

"You can only ask one of us," head 1 said.

"What?!" Davy exclaimed getting frustrated.

"Those are the rules!" Head 2 said. "One of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies. He's the liar."

"I am not!" scoffed head 1. "You're the liar!"

"What a terrible lie!" exclaimed head 2.

"You must be joking!" Davy said.

"This is one of those tests we have to face, isn't it?" Mike said walking up to the first creature. The heads looked at each other in confusion. "Never mind. Would he tell me that your door leads to where we want to go?" The creature paused and thought about it for a moment.

"Yes," the creature finally answered.

"Ok, so that's the door we go through," Mike said.

"But what if he's lying?" Davy asked.

"It's simple, really," Mike explained. "If he were telling the truth, the first one would be the liar. So since he told me that the second one would say yes, the answer is no. And if the first one is telling the truth, the second one would be lying by saying yes. So either way, the answer is no."

"Oh, I get it," Micky laughed.

"Really?" Davy asked. "Cause I don't."

"No, I lied," Micky laughed.

"I do," Peter said. "And I think Mike is right. We go through door number 2."

"Well, I may not get it, but I trust Mike," Micky said.

"So through door number 2," Davy agreed.

"Are you sure?" asked creature 2.

"Positive," Mike answered moving toward the door. The creature stepped aside and Mike opened the door cautiously. Micky didn't understand the riddle here, but he had every ounce of faith in Mike and if he seemed certain about his choice, Micky would follow him. Mike took the first step through the door and nothing happened. No giant rock balls coming down to crush him; no monsters jumping from the shadows to kill him; no trap doors opening to swallow him; nothing happened. Micky and the others followed Mike through the door and they all continued down the path that opened before them now.

The grass here was green and alive, but the sky was still dark and gray. The air around them was a little cooler and it seemed a little easier to walk. Behind them, the doors disappeared and all they saw was more field; alive and lush. In front of them was a valley surrounded by large mountains. The easiest way through was through the valley, so they walked toward it. When they reached it, the air around them grew gloomier. Micky still couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched the entire time they walked. They finally reached a wider part of the valley and on their left the start of a large forest, which seemed like an odd thing to have in the Underworld. Micky stopped when he heard something growling amidst the tree line.

"What was that?" Micky asked.

"What was what?" Davy asked.

"I thought I heard something," Micky said shaking it off. They kept walking and soon realized that they'd have to go through the forest; the path they were on lead directly into it. Micky tentatively followed them through it. As they walked, the forest became murkier and the branches of the trees covered the sky making it darker. The limbs of the trees were covered in slimy, clinging vines and the ground was covered in slimy, muddy, moss. The air also grew thicker with fog.

They had walked for about half an hour when they all heard a very strange sound and stopped. It was like a spurting, popping sound that sounded as though it were coming closer to them. After a couple of seconds, a pop resounded and a jet of fire erupted next to Peter. All the boys jumped away from the fire, but part of Peter's shirt had caught fire. Piper immediately threw up her hands and the fire froze in time. Mike and Micky rushed forward and knocked Peter down to try and smother the flames against the ground. Within a few seconds, the fire had been put out.

"You ok, Peter?" Mike asked helping Peter up a little.

"I…I think so," Peter said looking at the scorched hole in his shirt.

"Doesn't appear to be that bad," Micky said looking at it. "Just a big red spot."

"I brought some burn cream just in case," Piper said pulling a bottle out of her bag. "Lift up your shirt and hold still. This might be a little cold."

"I can take it," Peter said as he lifted his shirt enough for Piper to apply the cream to his burn. While she did, Micky heard the growling noise again.

"Ok, I know I heard it that time," Micky said spinning around and scanning the trees for something.

"I heard it too," Mike agreed.

"I didn't hear anything," Davy said.

"Peter?" Piper asked. "You're the one with the enhanced hearing right now. Did you hear anything?"

"I wasn't really paying attention," Peter said.

"Focus," Piper said. "Try to listen to everything around us." Peter closed his eyes and everyone was silent for a moment.

"Something is moving," Peter said. "I definitely hear something moving."

"Can you tell where?" Piper asked.

"Behind those trees," Peter said opening his eyes and pointing towards the path ahead of them. "It's big. Like a big warthog or something."

"Warthogs don't growl," Micky said.

"I didn't hear anything growling," Davy said.

"Well, there's only one way to find out what it is," Mike said walking toward the area Peter pointed out.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Davy asked. Micky wasn't sure it was a good idea for Mike to be going there alone either, so Micky followed him quickly. Mike pulled his sword out of its holster around his waist and inched forward through the trees.

"I don't see anything," Mike said.

"Mike, it moved," Peter said. "It's to your left." Mike turned to his left and peered through the trees. Micky was only inches away from him when he heard the growl again, this time louder. Then a large brown beast leapt through the trees and pounced on Mike, knocking him to the ground.

"Mike!" Davy and Peter exclaimed and rushed over to try and help. The creature was huge and growling angrily. Almost by instinct, Micky pulled the stiletto out of his bag and lunged forward just as the creature was about to bite Mike on the shoulder. The creature roared in pain as the knife penetrated and Mike threw the creature off him. The creature got up and ran away slowly enough for Mike to grab his sword and swing with both hands. The sword made contact with the beast and killed it.

"Mike, you ok?" Micky said helping Mike off the ground now.

"Yeah, just a little bruised," Mike answered. "What the heck is that thing?" Micky stared at the now dead creature on the ground. It looked like a rat, but it was the size of a small bear.

"It looks like a rat," Davy answered.

"That is way too big to be a rat," Peter argued.

"Yeah, I know that, but it still looks like a rat," Davy shot back. "But it's the size of a small bear."

"We're in the Underworld," Piper said. "It's just a monster."

"I'm calling it a 'rat-bear'," Davy said.

"Think we can expect more of these, rat-bears?" Mike asked. As he said this, they heard the three loud banging sounds again and all jumped away from the noise to avoid the fire plume that shot up inches from where Mike had just been standing.

"Well, since there are more of these fire things, chances are there are more rat-bears," Micky said staring at the fire.

"I'll keep listen for them," Peter said.

"Great," Mike said hefting his sword again. "Let's just keep moving then so we can get out of here."

"No arguments here," Micky said throwing another disgusted glance at the thing Davy dubbed the rat-bear. They all started walking a little farther into the forest, but this time a little faster. Davy had taken up the lead again with Micky and Mike close behind him. After another few minutes of walking, however, Davy stepped on a patch of sand and disappeared.

"Davy!" the boys exclaimed as rushed forward and tried to dig through the sand.

"Move!" Piper yelled at them.

"We have to get him out!" Mike argued.

"That's not going to work!" Piper snapped back. "It's quick sand! Move out of the way and I'll get him out! Before he suffocates!" All three boys didn't hesitate and moved away from the sand patch. Piper waved her hands a few times and suddenly they saw Davy's arms rise from the sand. Mike, Micky and Peter each grabbed his arms and pulled as hard as they could while Piper continued moving him out of the hole with her powers. When Davy was finally pulled free, his eyes were closed and he was limp.

"Davy, wake up!" Peter pled.

"He's not breathing," Mike said feeling his chest.

"Move," Piper ordered again and the three of them once again backed away. Piper quickly kneeled down and gave Davy CPR. Micky, Mike and Peter all held their breaths waiting for Davy to respond. After about a minute, Davy finally started coughing up sand and rolled over.

"Oh thank God," Mike breathed with relief.

"Suddenly you've become even more beautiful," Davy choked out smiling at Piper.

"Hey!" Micky laughed knowing Davy was only joking. "Hands off!"

"Seriously though," Davy said between more coughs. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Piper laughed.

"Ok, so we have to watch out for fire spouts, quick sand and rat-bears," Mike said. "Do you need to rest a little, Davy?"

"No," Davy said pushing himself up. "I'm fine."

"Ok, but if you need to stop, just let us know," Micky said as Davy moved to start walking forward. He made sure to keep an eye on Davy the whole rest of the way just in case something happened. As they made their way through the forest, they encountered only 2 more rat-bears that were easily slain by Mike's sword. They avoided 5 more quick sand traps and jumped out of the way of a dozen fire spouts. They moved a little slower as three of them were a little injured, but they were still able to make it out within a few hours.


	44. Night Mares

Author's Note: Read and Review!

Chapter 44: Night Mares

Once the boys and Piper were outside of the swampy forest, they all breathed a sigh of relief. They wouldn't have to watch out for spurting fire traps, giant rat monsters, or patches of quicksand. On this side of the swampy forest was more mountainous valley, but this was a much wider valley than the narrow one they'd previously been in. Mike realized they'd probably just passed two of the tests Charon told them about and briefly wondered how many they'd have to face. And if they would continue to get worse or not. Mike felt a little sore from having been tackled by the rat-bear, as Davy called it. And from having been walking for hours, so he decided that now would be a good time to rest.

"Hey, guys, maybe we should rest for a bit," Mike suggested sitting down and leaning against a rock. "This place seems safer than in there and we've been walking for hours."

"Agreed," Micky said sitting against a rock next to Mike. Davy and Peter nodded and sat down against a rock across from Mike.

"Let me take a look at that burn," Piper said kneeling in front of Peter. He lifted up his shirt and Mike could see the redness was already going down.

"It doesn't hurt anymore since you put that burn cream on it," Peter said.

"That's good," Piper said. "I'm glad it doesn't hurt anymore."

"How much more do you think we'll have to deal with?" Davy asked as Piper moved to sit down next to Micky.

"I don't know, but I hope it's not much," Mike answered. They sat for a while and Mike slowly started to feel better. After a little while, they got up and decided to continue on. They finally reached another wall spanning the length of the valley after a while, but this time there was nothing guarding it. Davy reached out to try and turn the handle, but nothing happened.

"It's locked," Davy said.

"Maybe we need to find a key," Peter said.

"Yeah, cause that's gonna be easy," Micky said sarcastically. "This valley is huge. Could be buried anywhere for all we know. We could spend all day digging and come up with nothing." Just as soon as he spoke, Mike felt the ground rumble a little beneath his feet.

"What was that?" Peter said.

"Felt like horses," Davy said. "But I don't see any."

"Neither do I," Mike said. Suddenly something invisible ran past him. Mike squinted trying to see what had run past and slowly he was able to make out a black outline of a horse, but it seemed a little different than most normal horses.

"What the heck?" Davy asked. The others had started seeing what he was seeing, too. Slowly the form took shape and Mike could see it was a black horse with wings. It was just as skinny as Charon had been; you could count its ribs underneath its skin. And its skin looked like it was coated in slick, black oil.

"That doesn't look like a normal horse," Peter said.

"What the heck is that?!" Micky asked.

"I think they might be…but that's not…" Piper mumbled.

"What?" Mike asked as they watched the horse run around the valley.

"Well, the origin of the word "nightmare" has been highly confused," Piper answered. "From what I've read about mythology, people think that a "nightmare" was a black horse that caused people to have bad things happen when they dreamed. Kind of the opposite of the sandman. The word "mare" describes, of course, a horse. But in actuality, in Germanic folklore, a mare was really a goblin-like creature that sat on people's chests while they slept that brings the bad dreams; not a horse."

"Well that definitely looks like a nightmare," Davy mumbled.

"It's possible that this creature has always existed, but has just been confused over time because of the modern use of the word "mare"," Piper said.

"Either way, what it is doing here?" Micky asked.

"It has the key," Peter answered.

"What?" Mike asked. "How do you know that?"

"His sight is enhanced because of the crossbow, remember?" Piper said.

"Yeah," Mike answered looking at the horse and now suddenly seeing a slight glint from something around the horse's neck.

"I can see the key," Peter said. "It's around his neck on a chain."

"Ok, so we have to try and catch it somehow," Micky said taking off after the horse.

"Micky, wait!" Davy called. "You aren't going to catch that! Horses are faster than humans!" Micky was indeed running very fast, but Davy was right; the horse was faster. As soon as it realized it was being chased, it took off running faster.

"That isn't going to work," Mike said. "So what do we do? Do we kill it?"

"I don't think we can," Piper said. "If that thing is the horse version of a Nightmare, it's already a spirit. Spirits cannot be killed. Let me try something." Piper waved her hand at the horse, but nothing happened. "It's moving too fast and too far away for my powers to work. I can't freeze it or move the key."

"So how do we get the key?" Mike asked.

"I think I know how," Davy said pointing at another horse that Mike hadn't noticed off in the distance standing still. "I ride that one and chase it. Like a horse race."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked. "It doesn't exactly look safe. There's no helmet or saddle or anything."

"What other choice do we have?" Davy asked. Before Mike could say anything else, he started walking toward the other horse. Mike followed him knowing that Davy would need help getting on the horse as he was so short. The second horse didn't move as Davy approached it which only confirmed to Mike that this was what needed to be done to pass the test.

"Let me help you up," Mike said as he moved to lift Davy up. Once Davy was sitting on the horse, he leaned forward on it. Within a second, the horse took off and nearly knocked Mike over. He watched Davy steer the horse and make it speed up toward the one with the key. Davy looked like he was barely even sitting on the horse as he raced after the first horse. A few times it looked as though Davy were going to slide off and fall and Mike's heart skipped a beat several times. Micky realized what Davy was doing and quickly backed off and rejoined Mike, Peter and Piper. Finally, Davy reached the first horse and carefully reached out for the key dangling around the horse's neck. He couldn't quite reach it and the horse took an unexpected turn startling Davy and causing him to fall off.

"Davy!" The three boys exclaimed. Piper immediately threw up her hands, but Davy didn't freeze. He did, however, slow down so at least when he hit the ground it wasn't as hard as it would have been. All four rushed over to see if Davy was ok. Mike kneeled down on the ground next to Davy who was moaning a little, but awake. The horse had stopped right next to Davy.

"Davy, are you ok?" Mike asked.

"My head," Davy moaned.

"Just take it easy," Piper said.

"I'm ok," Davy said trying to get up. "Just a headache."

"Relax," Peter said. "That was a rough fall."

"Not as rough as it could have been," Micky said. "Thank you so much, Piper."

"I tried to freeze him all the way," Piper answered. "I'm sorry I couldn't do better."

"Don't worry about it," Davy answered rubbing the back of his head. "At least I didn't crack my skull open. You did warn us your powers would be a little off down here."

"Ok," Mike said. "Why don't I try and get the key this time?"

"No," Davy said. "I'm better on horses than any of you. I just got the wind knocked out on me a little. I'll try again."

"Davy-" Mike started.

"I'll be fine," Davy said. "I'll try again."

"I don't know, Davy," Mike said.

"Don't worry," Davy argued. "I'll be fine. I promise. We all know I'm the only one that can race that horse fast enough to catch it. Just help me get back on the horse."

"Ok, but be more careful this time," Mike said reluctantly.

"I think I know how to get it," Davy said.

"How?" Micky asked.

"Just help me back on," Davy said. Micky sighed and lifted Davy back on the horse this time.

"Please be careful," Peter said.

"I will," Davy said as he rushed off again on the horse. Another few minutes passed while Mike waited with bated breath for something to happen. Davy reached the other horse again and rode alongside it for several seconds. Mike suddenly realized that Davy was trying to stand up on the horse as they galloped at enormous speeds. Mike was about to call out to Davy not to do what he was about to do, but Davy had already done it. Davy leapt from his horse to the one with the key almost seamlessly.

"Did he really just do that!?" Micky exclaimed. "He could have killed himself!" Mike released his breath as he watched Davy reach forward and get the key off the horse.

"Now how is he supposed to get off?" Peter asked. "That thing isn't slowing down. He can't jump off without killing himself."

"I really don't know, but I hope _he_ does," Mike admitted. As soon as the horse realized that Davy had taken the key off him, the horse reared back and Davy struggled to keep hold. The boys ran up and were able to reach Davy just seconds before he slipped off and hit the ground. Davy hit them with a thud and all four tumbled to the ground in a jumbled mess. Mike felt pain rush through his stomach as he felt Davy's elbow hit him, but he was just glad Davy was alive.

"You guys ok?" Davy asked crawling off them.

"Yes," Mike answered as they all slowly got up. "And for the record: that was really, really stupid and dangerous."

"But I got the key!" Davy argued holding it up.

"Just don't ever do anything stupid like that again, ok, Tiny?" Mike said pulling Davy into a hug. "You had us all scared half to death."

"Got it," Davy answered with a satisfied smile. "Now let's go unlock that door." As they walked, both horses trotted around a little and then took off into the sky.

"They fly!?" Peter exclaimed looking at them in awe.

"Well did you think their wings were decoration?" Micky asked.

"I dunno," Peter answered. "Penguins are birds and they can't fly."

"They don't have wings," Micky laughed. "They have flippers."

"Ok, but emu's, ostriches, and chickens have wings and they don't fly," Peter argued back.

"Ok, so noted," Micky laughed. "You win."


	45. Potions, Statues, and Music

Author's Note: So I have an idea for two more fics once my story Family Ties is wrapped. One I'm going to co-author with Plushchrome and another that I had the idea randomly pop in my head for the other day. So that means I'll be working on three fics at one time. Those two and this one. Not sure how well that's going to work, but we shall see.

Chapter 45: Potions, Statues and Music

Peter followed the others through the door after Davy had used the key to open it. His heart was still racing in his chest from Davy's stunt on the horse, but joking around with Micky helped ease his nerves a little. He still wasn't quite used to his enhanced senses, but it was getting better. He heard each individual footstep his friends took and even if he didn't see them, he knew exactly where they were. When he tried to focus on something in the distance, it was as if his eyes adjusted like a camera lens. It was weird, but it was indeed proving useful. Peter hoped there weren't many other tests they'd have to overcome in their journey, but he doubted they'd be that lucky.

As soon as they crossed through the door, they appeared to be in a room with a table in the center and another door at the other end. When the door closed behind them, purple flames engulfed it. At the other end, black flames engulfed the other door: the one they needed to get through. Everyone exchanged worried looks with each other, but moved toward the table. On it were seven different bottles filled with liquid. There was a piece of parchment paper sitting atop the table which Micky grabbed and started to read aloud.

"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind," Micky started. "Two of us will help you, whichever you would find. One among us seven will let you move ahead; another will transport the drinker back instead. Two among our number hold only nettle wine. Three of us are killers, waiting in the line. Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore. To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four: First, however slyly the poison tries to hide; you will always find some on nettle wine's left side. Second, different are those who stand at either end. But if you would move onward, neither is your friend. Third, as you see clearly, all are different size. Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides. Fourth, the second left and the second on the right are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

"I really don't like poems," Davy muttered.

"What do you mean, Davy?" Peter asked. "That's really what songs are; they're just poems."

"Yeah, well, this one isn't a song," Davy answered. "This one is a stupid annoying riddle that is impossible to solve."

"No, it's not," Piper said. "There are seven bottles of liquid. Three are poison, two are wine, and one lets you go through the purple fire. The one we want lets you go through the black fire."

"And we're supposed to know which is which how?" Davy asked.

"Well, the second left and second right are twins," Piper said. "So those are the wines."

"Right," Mike said.

"And the poison is always on the wine's left," Piper continued. "Meaning that the first is obviously a poison and either 3, 4, or 5 is poison."

"Right," Micky said.

"But since 3 is the smallest, it can't be a poison," Piper continued. "Because neither dwarf nor giant holds death."

"Right," Peter said following her logic a little.

"So that leaves 3 and 7 as unknowns," Piper finished. "But since it also stated that neither 1 nor 7 would take us through, that means 7 takes us back and 3 takes us through the fire. Make sense?"

"If you say so," Davy said.

"Ok, so we all take a sip of the third bottle," Mike said picking it up. He took the first sip and passed the bottle to Micky. Micky sipped and passed it to Davy, then Peter, then Piper. Peter felt a slight tingle through his body when he sipped the liquid, but nothing else.

"Shall we?" Micky asked walking toward the door with the black flames. Peter and the others followed him. Peter held his breath for the small second it took Micky to reach his hand through the black flames and open the door on the other side. Micky didn't hesitate to walk the rest of the way through it, but even though Peter understood the logic behind the riddle and he'd just seen Micky go through unharmed, when it came to his turn, he stood for a moment to stare at the flames. It was human instinct not to walk through a wall of fire, but here he was about to do just that. So he had to fight his own human instinct to push himself through the wall of black flames to the other side of the door.

This place was very different from all the other places they'd gone. This was a very large courtyard garden. In the center of the courtyard was a very large reflecting pool with a statue of the Greek god Ares on a horse holding a shield and in each of the four corners a statute of Ares standing and holding a shield. There was, however, nothing on the other side of the courtyard; it just ended. They made their way to the other end of the courtyard and peered down. It was a straight drop down and they didn't see the bottom. There didn't seem to be any way out. Peter glanced around looking for anything that be a puzzle. This couldn't be a dead end. Every other place had a way out.

"Now what?" Davy asked.

"I'm not really sure," Piper answered. Micky walked up to investigate the statue in the middle of the reflecting pool.

"I think this moves," Micky said. "There seems to be a track here." He pushed on the statue trying to get it to move, but it only moved a few centimeters.

"Let me help," Mike said joining Micky in pushing the statue back. They moved the statue back as far as it would go and it sunk a couple of inches into the ground. Behind Peter, a beam of red light formed from the abyss. It made its way to the other side of the courtyard near the door they'd come in.

"That's weird," Davy muttered carefully waving his hand in front of it.

"Well, it must be coming from somewhere and for some purpose," Micky said squinting to try and see the source of the red light in the distance. No one could see it, not even Peter.

"These shields are shiny," Mike said looking at the statues in each corner of the courtyard. "And they're all facing different directions. Maybe we have to position them so the light reflects and hits somewhere else. But where?"

"Here," Micky said pointing at the statute they'd just pushed. "There's something odd about the shield here. It almost seems like there's a mechanism behind it, but I can't figure it out."

"Well, let's give it a try," Peter said moving towards the closest statue. It was the statue that was in the northwest corner of the courtyard. He tried pulling on it, but it didn't move that easily for him. He wasn't strong enough, so Davy ran over to help him pull.

"I think the light will probably have to bounce off all 4 statues," Mike said. "So that one will have to turn and bounce the light directly to the east."

"Got it," Peter said pulling it out far enough to catch the light and turning it so that it faced east. It caught the light and once they turned it just right, the light bounced off the shield toward the next statue. Piper and Micky were already there moving that one into place.

"That's going to have to face south," Mike said as he looked at the other statues in the courtyard calculating a mental image in his head of what they'd have to do. Peter and Davy moved to the statue in the southwest corner while Piper and Micky moved to the statue in the southeast corner. Peter and Davy moved the statue so that it was facing the statue and in the center of the courtyard to reflect the light towards the center statue just as Micky and Piper moved the statue in the southeast corner to face west. The light bounced from each statue until it finally hit the statue in the center. When it did, the statue turned to face the edge of the courtyard where the light had come from and then emitted its own light. It seemed to light up a small path coming off the courtyard that was invisible before. Piper moved toward the newly lit up bridge which was still slightly translucent.

"Piper, don't," Micky called after her.

"It should be pretty stable," Piper said testing the bridge by placing one foot on it.

"Don't fall," Micky said running to the edge to join her.

"I won't," Piper said. "It's a bridge. The light made a bridge. We have to cross this."

"Is that safe?" Mike asked as he and the others joined Piper and Micky.

"It really doesn't look like anything's there," Davy said. "Just a slight distortion."

"It's an invisible bridge," Peter said also placing one foot on the bridge. It felt solid beneath him. "Made slightly visible by light refraction."

"Sure," Mike said looking warily at it.

"It's fine," Peter said fighting all instincts not to walk on it by forcing himself to do just that. "It's solid ground." Mike took one step on the bridge as well and realized that it was stable before standing completely on it.

"Ok, so just don't look down," Mike said.

"Don't look down," Micky echoed stepping on it as well.

"You guys are crazy," Davy said joining them. They walked very slowly down the length of the bridge and Peter could hear Micky muttering "don't look down" over and over again like a mantra. The bridge was narrow, so they had to walk in a line along the bridge. They finally made it to another clearing with another courtyard. In this courtyard, there appeared to be a very old looking instrument sitting atop a stone table. It looked like a very small harp, but Peter realized it was a lyre: an ancient Greek instrument. Behind the table was another locked door.

"This looks really cool," Davy said picking up the lyre to admire it.

"It's a lyre," Peter said.

"I'm guessing we have to play it," Micky said.

"Probably," Mike agreed. "Just have to figure out what the tune is we have to play."

"I'm sure we'll find out once we touch the door," Piper said walking towards it. She pushed on the door and a second later, the lyre emitted a noise. It was a set of 8 notes that sounded very beautiful together.

"Ok, so we have to match that," Mike said.

"Let me see that," Peter said taking the lyre from Davy. He strummed a few of the strings to get a feel for how each note sounded before deciding to give the melody a shot. The first attempt failed and the lyre played the melody for them again. It took about 7 attempts for Peter to get the melody right and when he did, the door finally opened.

"Well, onward then," Davy said. "I just wish we could take that with us."

"I know," Micky said. "That is really cool."

"Not sure taking magical instruments out of the Underworld is such a good idea," Mike said. "Even though I do like that instrument, too."

"If you take anything out of here, you'll probably be cursed," Piper said as the five of them walked through the door. "Best not to do anything other than what is necessary for these tests."

"So noted," Micky said.

_Ending author's note: Ok, just for copyright's sake or whatever, these puzzle/obstacles are (mostly) not mine. The door puzzle is from the movie Labyrinth. The swamp is from Princess Bride. The horses I described are thestrals from Harry potter and I got the idea of chasing the key from that series as well. In this chapter, I have a riddle taken directly from Harry Potter book 1, and two puzzles similar to those in God of War video game. I don't remember where I got the idea for the invisible bridge. If there's anything anyone particularly wants to see as a puzzle or riddle from a video game or movie, let me know and I might put it in if I'm familiar enough with it._


	46. To the Top

Author's Note: Ok, this chapter is taken from my other obsession: Assassins Creed. Read and review as always please!

Chapter 46: To the Top

The next room they walked into was huge; as large as an art gallery. In fact the room was filled with paintings. All four walls held four paintings each. Peter walked by each of them and admired them. These were classic paintings. He would love to be able to recreate some of these; if only he hadn't sworn to his friends that he wouldn't duplicate anymore paintings. And if he weren't currently traipsing through the Underworld in search of the Devil. Nonetheless, he could find himself easily lost in each of these paintings and spend hours in this room alone.

"Ok, I'm confused," Mike said snapping him out of his reverie a little. "Why did we walk into an art museum?"

"Look," Micky said pointing at the door on the other end of the room. The exit was 2 large double door of ornate design, perfect for its artistic surroundings. But it also seemed to have a spot for 2 paintings on each door and 1 in the middle. It was like fitting 5 paintings on the door was the key to opening it. "I think we have to fill these holes with paintings."

"Which ones?" Mike asked.

"Above the door," Piper pointed at very ornate lettering that blended almost perfectly with the design. "The fruit of knowledge."

"What does that mean?" Mike asked.

"What's the fruit of knowledge, Mike?" Peter asked staring at the painting in front of him.

"An apple," Mike answered.

"Exactly," Peter answered with a smile.

"There are no paintings of apples in here," Mike said.

"Not just apples, but take a closer look at this one for instance," Peter said pointing at the painting he'd been admiring. It was called "The Fall" and it was a very famous and very old depiction of Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. "What is she doing?"

"Picking apples from the tree!" Mike said understanding.

"So this is one of the paintings that goes in the door?" Micky asked.

"More than likely," Peter said.

"Ok, what else?" Mike asked carefully taking that painting off the wall and handing it to Davy who carefully put it in one of the slots on the door. When he did, they heard a soft click.

"Atalanta and Hippomenes" Peter answered looking at another one. Mike took this one off the wall and Micky put it in the door. Another soft click. Peter pointed at another one called "Idun and the Apples" and two more entitled, "Judgment of Paris" and "Hercules in the Garden of Hesperides". After three more soft clicks the doors opened to reveal another room in the same style. The paintings here were different however. As was the clue written above the door.

"The power they wielded cut down their enemies," Piper read.

"Not sure what that means," Micky said.

"Swords," Davy answered.

"Exactly," Peter said pointing out 5 more paintings on the walls that depicted a person holding a sword. "Perseus, Greece", "Attila the Hun, Eurasia", "King Arthur", "Sigmund, Norse", and "Joan of Arc, France". In the 3rd room, they encountered even more paintings.

"How many of these are there?!" Davy exclaimed.

"Well, they've really been kind of easy so far," Peter said.

"This one says 'In their hands, the wise lean on a great force'," Piper said.

"That one I'm not sure of," Davy said. Peter examined the paintings and realized what it meant.

"What do you lean on when you have a bum leg?" Peter asked.

"A cane," Mike answered.

"What is a cane for someone with a lot of money or power?" Peter asked.

"A staff?" Davy suggested.

"Yep, so the paintings that show someone holding a staff are "Shabataka, Egypt", "Peter, Jerusalem", "Moses, Egypt", "John the Baptist, Jerusalem", and "Alexander the Great, Macedonia".

"Wow, you really know your art," Piper said. It was taking him merely 5 minutes in each room to identify all 5 paintings, but that was because he'd admired most of them in books or museums in the past. Peter blushed a little as she smiled appreciatively at him and Davy slid the last painting in its place with a soft click. The door opened to reveal the interior of a very large cathedral. The five of them entered it and stood in awe for several moments.

"This place is beautiful," Micky said.

"Yeah," Davy agreed.

"Hard to believe this is in the Underworld," Mike said.

"I think this is a replica of a cathedral in Florence," Piper said.

"I don't see a door though," Davy said. "As much as I'd love to stay here for a while, we need to keep moving. How do we get out of here if there's no door?"

"There's a door," Piper answered. "We just have to find it."

"I don't see anything," Mike said walking through the cathedral. The boys spent about half an hour with Piper looking for a door or any clues as to the way out, but no one found anything. Finally Peter stood directly under the dome at the far end of the cathedral and looked up to find an alcove with a ladder leading from it.

"Why would there be a ladder up there?" Peter asked.

"For someone to climb on," Micky answered staring up at it, too.

"Yeah, but all the way up there?" Mike asked joining Peter and Micky.

"The door must be up there," Davy said.

"Why is it all the way up there?" Mike asked.

"I don't think the door is up there," Peter said squinting to see things in the tiny room that were blocked by the rest of the ceiling. "But I see a lever. Which probably means someone has to go up and pull the lever to make the door appear."

"That's not possible," Mike said. "No one can reach that."

"I could try and climb up there," Micky offered.

"You must be joking," Davy answered. "No one can climb up that!"

"Not directly," Micky said. "But if I can get up to the top of that dome, I think I can jump to that ladder."

"What?" Mike said. "I'm going with Davy on this one; that's just insane!"

"No, it's falling apart a little," Micky said. "There should be some foot and handholds up there that I can climb on. Peter?"

"I see quite a few missing bricks that you could use and some wood beams, sure, but the question is how in the heck are you even going to get over there?" Peter answered. He didn't see a way that Micky could even reach them.

"The chandeliers," Micky said pointing at them. "They're flat on top; I should be able to jump around on them."

"Micky, that's way too dangerous," Davy said.

"Says the man who leapt from a speeding horse," Micky retorted.

"I agree with Davy," Mike said. "Peter, Piper, back us up here?"

"I don't know," Piper said. "It has to be possible in order for it to be a test. No one said the tests were going to be easy or safe. And besides that, someone has to go up there to get out of here. With the charms on that dagger and throwing knife, Micky will be a lot more agile anyway, so he has a better chance than the rest of you to get up there. Unless you want to give up and go home now."

"We've come way too far to give up now," Micky said. "I can do this, guys."

"This isn't like climbing around on the staircase and everything else at home, Micky," Peter said. He knew Piper had a good point, but at the same time, he couldn't bear it if something happened to Micky.

"I know that," Micky said. "But I think I can do this."

"You think?" Mike echoed.

"I can do this," Micky said firmly.

"He has to at least try," Davy said giving in. "Someone does. And Micky is the best climber out of all of us to begin with and now that he's a little more agile, he has a better chance of making it."

"But if he fails, he could die," Mike said. "That's a nearly 300 foot fall from the top."

"Please don't remind me of that," Micky said cringing.

"I don't want you doing it," Mike answered.

"Well, what else do you propose?" Micky asked. "Wanna call it quits and go home?"

"No," Mike sighed.

"Then what other choice do we have?" Davy asked.

"Fine," Mike said finally also giving in. "Just take it easy and be very, very careful."

"I know," Micky said.

"Don't fall," Peter offered. He knew it was probably a really stupid thing to say, but he wanted to say it anyway. Micky just looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Pete," Micky laughed before walking to the other end of the cathedral and looking around.

"I think if I start up here," Micky said running up a stack of crates and leaping up the wall to grab a stone border. He used a few holes from loose bricks to pull himself up to the top of a large fireplace nearly 4 times his height. Peter's heart skipped a beat when Micky then leapt a few feet across to the top of a decorative alcove. Then he leapt to the top of an adjacent one before leaping to a wooden beam coming out of a pillar for an arch. From the beam he leapt to the top of one of the chandeliers and somehow managed to keep his balance as it swung a little. Peter wasn't really sure how Micky was doing this and every time that Micky was in the air leaping, Peter held his breath.

He then jumped to the neighboring chandelier and then to another wooden beam behind it. Jumping to another wooden beam and over to a ledge on the other side of the wall looked like a simple walk in the park. Micky then climbed up the wall another several feet with relative ease before leaping over several more wooden beams and swinging on several decorative rods before landing on another chandelier. A few more chandeliers, wooden beams and ledges later, Micky was underneath the dome, but he still had a couple hundred feet to climb to reach the ladder. He was now on the decorative unroofed gazebo-like structure. There were three alcoves around it that arched up to the dome and Micky carefully walked around the top of the gazebo-like structure until he reached the far end of the structure and leapt to the wall grasping a small sconce. Peter's heart skipped a beat as the sconce started to come out of the wall, but Micky quickly leapt up to a conveniently placed piece of scaffolding that led to the inside of the alcove.

"That was close," Davy breathed as though he'd been holding his breath for the last 15 minutes.

"I almost can't watch this," Mike muttered. Peter watched speechlessly and breathlessly as Micky climbed the inside of the alcove up the wooden slats to the top of the arch way. He carefully made his way around to the middle alcove using more wooden beams and up to a walkway where he was able to leap to a curtain rod hanging above a cross. He swung from the rod and just barely caught the bottom rung of the ladder.

"Oh thank god," Piper breathed heavily. She nearly fell to the ground as relief washed over her now that Micky had made it to the ladder in one piece and had started to climb it.

"Please tell me he knows how to get down?" Mike asked making Peter's unease course through him again.

"I'm sure there will be a way," Piper said. "Once he pulls the lever."

"I hope you're right," Davy said. After a moment of silence, they heard a loud grinding noise and turned to see a part of the wall behind the giant cross was sliding away to reveal a door. Mike glanced up to see if Micky had found a way down, but quickly jumped out of the way as the ladder descended quickly to the ground with a loud clang.

"That was actually a lot of fun," Micky exclaimed joining them.

"Fun?" Mike echoed. "We were worried sick the whole time you were doing that!"

"Oh, take it easy, Mike," Micky said laughing. "I guess I just finally understand why people go sky-diving or bungee-jumping."

"Yeah, well, you're never doing anything like that ever again," Mike said dryly.

"You're not the boss of me!" Micky argued but laughed. "Relax, Mike. I was joking. That was fun, but I won't ever do it again. I don't think I could anyway. I was only able to do it this time because of the added boosts."

"Can we just keep going please?" Davy asked from the door. Peter may not have had very much street sense, but he knew his friends well enough to know that Davy was trying to avoid taking sides; he understood the thrill of living dangerously from his stunt on the horse, but he also understood Mike's worry. Mike was their big over-protective brother and sometimes he worried too much, but Peter knew none of them would ever trade it for anything in the world.


	47. Bargaining

Author's Note: I am having computer issues at the moment (it only runs in safe mode), but I plan on doing a system restore and reformat the hard drive once all my files (8 gigs of music and all the Monkees episodes) are backed up. In the meantime, my grandparents are letting me borrow their laptop so I can still get my homework done. But if there is a delay on posting my next chapter, I'm sorry. I almost lost this one as it was and almost had to re-type the whole thing. Luckily my grandfather was able to get my computer to at least boot in safe mode, which it wasn't even doing before.

Chapter 47: Bargaining

The Devil finally stood before the being he'd been seeking for the last several hours. He'd traversed through the sparse wasteland-like space between where this being resided and where he could safely transport himself. The man before him looked angry, but had agreed to see him on the condition the Devil speak quickly. The man towered menacingly above him and suddenly the Devil found himself a little scared for one of the first times in his long life.

"What do you want?" the man boomed.

"I beg your pardon, Chronos," the Devil started trying to put on his best charm. "I came to seek your help in something. I admit that I cannot attain my goals without your help."

"You want me to help you?" Chronos laughed.

"Yes," the Devil answered. "I wanted to ask you to send me back in time. There is an event I wish to change."

"What makes you think I would help you with your petty squabble with a few mortals?" Chronos cut him off before he could explain further.

"I…" the Devil stuttered a little. He didn't expect Chronos to already know what he wanted.

"I already know what it is you seek," Chronos sneered at him. "I am much stronger than you are. I have been alive much longer than you and have developed better skills and senses. You wish to make it so that they never met, but you will fail in your endeavor and not just because I won't help you."

"I will bring them to their knees," the Devil said getting slightly angry.

"You won't!" Chronos boomed making the very ground shake. "Even if I were to grant your wish, you would not win. Have you pesky little demons learned nothing!? There is a force much more powerful than you and those boys have it! It is why you have failed so miserably!"

"And what force is that?" the Devil asked.

"Love," Chronos answered.

"Many demons have torn through love!" the Devil snapped back. "I personally have broken up the closest of lovers!"

"Luck," Chronos said. "Luck and fate has always played a hand in that. You have failed too many times already. They grow stronger with each attack you throw at them. Your luck grows dimmer and their fate brighter."

"I cannot fail," the Devil said. "I will break their strength. That is why I want to go back in time! To break that bond before it even forms!"

"Not possible," Chronos said. "Fate has played its role now. You cannot touch them. You can keep them from meeting in that instance, but fate will find a way to make them meet. You cannot change their fate."

"Then I will talk to the sisters of fate," the Devil sneered.

"No, you won't," Chronos roared shaking the ground again. "You, pesky little man, have neglected everything you have ever learned. You waste your time and energy on these mortals simply for revenge! A petty, insignificant HUMAN emotion! You are not human!"

"If you will not help me, I will find another way," the Devil sneered turning to leave.

"Have you heard nothing I have just said!?" Chronos boomed making the ground shake yet again. This time the force was so great Devil was thrown off his feet and it caused him to collapse to the ground. "I have had enough of your petty problems. I told you I didn't want to speak with you in the first place, yet you dared venture here to bother me! You shall now be punished for your insolence!" The ground continued to shake and a very large crack opened beneath the Devil. He tried to push himself up, but only fell right back down. Then he felt himself falling through the crack. He seemed to fall through space itself and felt like he was in a vacuum. The air around him seemed to grow thick and press on him from every side. Then he hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of him but the air returned to normal.

* * *

Mike walked through the door first with his friends behind him. As soon as he did, he saw a very large, very old man. He seemed as old as Charon, but instead of being frail, this man looked as strong an agile as a 20 year old muscle builder. He definitely did not look like someone to be trifled with. Mike instantly grew frightened because the man himself looked very mad. When he yelled, the ground itself shook and it took Mike a moment to realize who he was even yelling at. The Devil fell to the ground and seemed to be fighting to get back up without much success. Before Mike knew it, a thunderous cracking sound resounded and the ground opened beneath him and swallowed the Devil, but the crack didn't stop. It made its way straight towards them. Mike turned to tell his friends to run, but it was too late; the ground opened beneath them as well and all 5 fell down through the ground.

Mike felt pressure from all sides nearly crush his entire body and he found it very hard to breath. He reached out for his friends, but he couldn't come in contact with them. He felt himself screaming, but there was no sound around them. Mike expected to hear the cracking and shifting of the rock around them like he had before they fell, but there was absolutely no sound. He supposed it was due mainly to the pressure on his ears, but felt there was something else involved. He didn't have much time to think about it because in the next moment, he hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

When he could breath again, he slowly and painfully pushed himself up and turned to look for his friends first. Davy had landed next to him and was groaning a little rubbing his back in pain. Peter was a few yards away rubbing his head. Micky didn't seem to be in much pain, and Mike attributed it to his added durability because of the charms on the weapons he carried. Piper was next to Micky and barely moving. Fear grew in the pit of his stomach as he watched Piper. She appeared to be in a lot of pain.

"You ok?" Micky asked moving closer to her.

"I landed on my leg," Piper answered. "I think I did something to it."

"We should get out of here," Davy said.

"Is this another test?" Peter asked.

"No," Mike answered staring at the Devil who had apparently landed several feet away and hadn't realized they were there as he pushed himself up. Mike charged at him and took him off guard tackling him to the ground. The Devil roared in anger and pain as Mike punched him in the face. He snapped his fingers like he usually did right before he disappeared, but nothing happened. Mike smiled as fear washed over the Devil's face.

"What?!" he stammered.

"Problem?" Mike asked smugly.

"What did you do to me!?" the Devil roared trying to wiggle out from under Mike. But Davy had come over by now and placed one heeled boot on the Devil's arm keeping him pinned.

"I think the better question is what did you do to us!?" Micky demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" the Devil roared. Davy pressed his heel in harder and the Devil cried out in pain.

"Guys," Peter said quietly standing next to Piper.

"What did you do?!" Mike asked again, ignoring Peter.

"I told you, I didn't do anything!" the Devil roared back. "I was going to, but he refused!"

"What are you talking about?" Micky asked.

"Hey, Mike!" Peter said a little louder.

"Who was that demon who was yelling at you?" Mike asked ignoring Peter again.

"Forget it!" the Devil sneered. "I'm not telling you a damn thing! I didn't do this! He did."

"GUYS!" Peter yelled.

"What is it, Peter?" Micky sighed. "We're a little busy trying to figure out what happened."

"I know that," Peter said, "but I think I may have a clue. We aren't in the Underworld anymore, are we?"

"Doesn't appear so," Piper said sitting on the ground but still looking around. "Air's too clean."

"Exactly," Peter said. "And look at those buildings. They don't exactly look modern." Mike looked at the buildings off in the distance and realized Peter had a point. They were currently in a large grassy field with woods behind them and a small village in front of them. And the village looked like a picture from a history book.

"What the heck?" Micky said looking around. "Those look colonial."

"I know," Peter said. "They look like a lot of the old houses back home that have been converted to museums, but new. Like they were just built."

"That's not possible," Davy said loosening his weight enough for the Devil to throw Davy off him. He pushed Mike off him and pushed himself up, but Davy was faster than him thanks to the sword he carried. Davy quickly unsheathed his sword and shoved the tip into the Devil's neck as he was only halfway up.

"Don't do that again," Mike warned. "Now you're going to answer our questions, or Davy here will run you through. You may be immortal, but we're pretty sure that'll still hurt like hell."

"That, and I'm pretty sure something's wrong with your powers, so you may not even be immortal anymore," Micky added.

"Who was that?" Mike asked again. The Devil seemed to consider for a moment whether or not to cooperate.

"You realize that whatever happened, we're probably all in this together," Piper said. "You didn't do it and we didn't do it which may mean that neither of us can un-do it."

"Are you saying we have to work together?" Peter asked.

"Maybe," Piper admitted. "We need to know what happened first."

"You don't even know what happened, do you?" Micky asked the Devil who just glared at him angrily. Which of course meant that he didn't know. "So start by telling us who that was."

"Chronos," the Devil finally answered.

"Chronos?" Davy echoed. "Isn't that a Greek Titan?"

"No, that's Cronus," the Devil answered as though Davy had just asked a stupid question.

"There's a difference?" Mike asked.

"There's a big difference," the Devil sneered.

"Chronos is a Greek god of time," Peter said. "Gets confused with the titan who has nothing to do with time at all. But I don't understand…are you saying god's exist too?"

"Yes," the Devil answered. "They were demons that humans feared and worshipped. Most of them have been around since the beginning of time."

"So Zeus and Athena and all of them are really demons!?" Micky said in shock. Mike himself felt a little shocked to learn that all the Gods he heard about in school were real and they were evil.

"Not really," Piper said. "Back then, the line between good and evil was very gray. They were just magical beings. Some did bad things, some did good things. The distinction between witches and demons didn't come about for several hundred years later. At least that's what my mom told me, but I never thought it was true. There's actually even rumors that the Norse Gods are from another world entirely."

"So if he's not a demon, why was he in the Underworld?" Davy asked.

"Where they went depended on what they became once the line between good and evil was drawn," Piper answered. "Some of the Gods became forces of extreme good, some became demons. It all depended on what they did with their magic. Did they use it to help others or did they use it to seduce as many women as they could like Zeus? Chronos must have done something to merit being labeled a demon."

"Ok, the guy you were talking to was the Greek god of time or whatever," Mike said trying to refocus them. "So he can manipulate time?"

"He sent us back in time," Micky said.

"Why?" Mike asked. "What were you trying to get him to do?" Again the Devil seemed hesitant to answer. Davy pushed the tip of the sword a little farther in the Devil's neck and he finally seemed to cave.

"I was going to have him send me back in time to destroy you," he choked out.

"How?" Micky asked.

"By making sure we'd never meet," Peter answered for him. "It's our bond that makes us stronger. We've always known that. The only way for him to win is to destroy that bond. He couldn't do it by making us angry at each other, so he wanted to make it so we never met."

"So why did Chronos not do it?" Mike asked. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful that didn't happen, but he was curious to know if they had someone on their side they didn't expect.

"Does that really matter right now?" the Devil asked angrily.

"Kind of," Micky said. "It may have something to do with why he sent us back in time."

"I think he may not have meant to," Piper said. "He probably only meant to send the Devil back as a punishment. He sounded angry from the yelling I heard."

"Yeah, he looked it, too," Mike admitted.

"What did you do to make him so angry?" Davy asked with a small smug smile.

"Never mind that!" the Devil roared.

"If he didn't mean to send us back, does that mean he'll fix it?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Peter, he's a demon," Mike said. "They aren't really known for being generous or caring enough to fix their mistakes."

"He will," said a voice behind them. They all turned to see a beautiful woman in Greek goddess style clothing. "He's not cruel. He's not the nicest person in the world, but he is at least honest. You boys were never meant to fall into his curse. He didn't know you were there. He sends his apologies."

"Apology accepted," Peter said. "Everyone makes mistakes." Mike shook his head a little. He wasn't going to quickly condemn Chronos for the mistake, but he wasn't so sure he was ready to jump on the forgiveness bandwagon yet. He had a really bad feeling that this mistake wouldn't get rectified so quickly.

"Who are you?" Micky asked.

"I am Demeter," she said. "I was sent to give you the message."

"Why didn't he just reverse the curse?" Davy asked.

"I am afraid it is not that easy," Demeter answered. "It will take time to reverse the curse. While you are here, time will move at the same speed it is in the present. I don't know how long it will take, but Chronos is working on it."

"Does he have an idea?" Mike asked. "Are we talking a few hours or what?"

"Perhaps days," Demeter answered.

"Days!?" Davy exclaimed. "You must be joking!"

"Curses like this are very hard to reverse," Piper said.

"Especially one involving time," Demeter said. "If done wrong, it could rip the very fabric of time."

"Which is bad," Micky said.

"Very bad," Piper agreed. "End of the world bad."

"So what happens until then?" Mike asked.

"Enjoy the scenery," Demeter said. "Consider it a vacation."

"A vacation with someone trying to kill us," Davy muttered glaring at the Devil.

"Be very careful not to mess anything up," Demeter said with a smile. "You could alter history."

"We'll just stay on the sidelines," Mike promised.

"Not sure we can say the same for him," Micky said.

"That's why we've taken his powers," Demeter said. "Frozen them temporarily. And no one said you had to stick together with him. Chronos can reverse the curse and pull you all back no matter how separated you are. You could be on different sides of the globe and it wouldn't matter."

"We went through all that to face him, and now we can't?" Peter said.

"Who says we can't hurt him?" Davy said pushing the sword into his throat. "I agree with Micky. Without his powers, he's probably not immortal anymore."

"You do, however, need to all be alive," Demeter said.

"Fine," Davy said putting the sword away. The Devil took that opportunity to get up and run away. Mike thought about chasing him, but decided against it. It wasn't worth the effort.

"Thank you for passing on the message," Peter said turning back to Demeter, but she had already disappeared.

"Ok, so let's go site-seeing," Micky said. "See where we are. Or when we are."

"Probably both," Piper said. Mike realized she was still sitting on the ground as Micky walked over to help her up.

"You sure you're ok?" Mike asked as she Micky supported most of her weight and they limped toward the town.

"Probably just sprained it really bad," she said. "Let's get to that town and see if we can get a place to rest. After everything we just went through, we should all rest."


	48. Fitting In

Author's Note: Computer seems to be working after reformatting it to factory settings, but only time will tell. Let's hope it's permanently fixed and I can get another chapter up soon instead of fighting with my computer for 8 hours at a time.

Chapter 48: Fitting In

"Wait a minute," Mike said holding up his hand. Micky had helped Peter carry Piper down to the town and they were on the outskirts when Mike stopped them. "If we travelled back in time, we're gonna stand out an awful lot in these clothes. These houses are definitely colonial era, and we are definitely not in colonial era garb."

"So we need to change," Davy agreed. "How are we going to do that?"

"Piper, can you still freeze time?" Mike asked.

"I think so," Piper said holding up her hands to freeze Davy as a test. Davy froze confirming that her powers were still working. She then waved her hand again to unfreeze him.

"Perfect," Mike said. "We need to sneak in and borrow someone's clothes."

"Borrow?" Peter asked hesitantly. "What if we don't know when we're going back? Then we're just stealing them."

"Peter, if we don't blend in, we're going to get in a lot of trouble," Mike reasoned. "We have to do something."

"Trust me, I would love to pay for these clothes, but I'm pretty sure the money we have they won't accept," Micky added. "It hasn't been made yet. If these are colonial times, they'll think we're evil demons or something."

"Yeah, they used to burn witches at the stake," Piper agreed. "Let's try and avoid that if we can."

"Ok, ok," Peter said relenting. "But I don't have to like it, do I?"

"Of course not," Davy said. "None of us do."

"Ok, let's sneak into this first house and see what we find," Mike said. "Piper if you could freeze the room in case someone's in there. I don't want anyone seeing us just yet."

"Got it," Piper said preparing herself to freeze the room as soon as the door opened. When Mike opened the door, Piper froze the room and there was indeed one woman inside it cooking a meal for her family presumably. She froze midway through stirring something and Mike snuck past her to a side room. A few moments later, he came back out with a few clothes over his arms and the five walked into an alley behind the house after Piper unfroze the woman.

"I really hope these fit," Mike said. "Ok, we'll get dressed first, then we'll close our eyes and Piper can get dressed."

"Got it," Piper said closing her eyes first. The boys quickly got changed and Micky told Piper it was ok to open her eyes. Piper had a little harder time because she couldn't stand on her own very well, so Micky had to support her a little, which he found hard to do with his eyes closed. But once they'd managed to get everyone looking like they belonged there, they decided to see if they could find a place to rest. The only thing they could think of was to find a tavern and see if they could get a room in exchange for cleaning tables. Luckily, Mike came up with a good cover story to tell the tavern owner.

"May I help you?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I was wondering if you had a room for us," Mike started trying his best to hide his Texas accent knowing Texas probably didn't technically exist yet. "We don't have any money, but we are willing to work. See, we were travelling and we were robbed and just need a place to rest for a while."

"I see," she said looking at them. She rested her eyes a little on Piper who was still leaning against Micky.

"Our friend was hurt during the attack," Mike explained.

"Hard to believe four young men could get robbed," the woman said sounding a little skeptical for a moment.

"Yes, it was a group of marauders," Mike explained quickly. "About a dozen of them with muskets. And we were unfortunately unarmed."

"A dozen!?" the woman exclaimed startled.

"Yes, but don't worry," Mike said quickly. "They went north of here. I doubt they'll be bothering anyone in this town."

"My, my," she said relaxing a little. "Well, I do have **one **free room." She put a lot of emphasis on the word 'one' and eyed Piper and Micky closely which made Micky feel very uncomfortable.

"That's fine," Peter said quickly picking up on something Micky hadn't. "Piper and Micky are married and we're Micky's brothers. Everyone's family here."

"Oh!" she said brightening a little. Micky shot Peter a look asking him why he'd just said that. "Well, if that's the case then, all is well. I suppose I could let you rent the room in exchange for some work around here. My husband passed several years ago and I'm afraid since then this place has begun to fall apart. My son died in the war; otherwise he'd be helping with the repairs."

"We'll do whatever we can to help," Mike assured her. "We appreciate your generosity."

"Follow me," she said and led them back to a room that was a little dank and musty, but Micky didn't expect much better from a free room. "Settle yourselves down a little and when you're ready to begin work, just come let me know. By the way, my name Anne."

"I'm Mike, this is Micky, Peter, Davy and Piper," Mike answered.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Anne said. "Let me know if you need anything. You're welcome to join me for dinner tonight as well."

"Thank you," Davy said. Anne stared at Davy for a few seconds but then decided that she had to get back to work.

"Wonder what that was," Davy muttered. "When she stares at you, it's like she's trying to read your brain. It's creepy."

"A little," Micky agreed. "Watch your accent, Davy. She said her son died in the war. Not sure what year this is, but I have a feeling I know what war she was talking about. I doubt she has any compassion for the British right now."

"Oh," Davy said. "Good point."

"Speaking of," Micky said turning to Peter, "what was with the whole "we're married" thing?"

"People in this time are very conservative," Peter answered. "It is not proper for a man and woman to sleep in the same room unless they are married. Most won't even be alone together anywhere unless they're married. She wouldn't have given us this room if she thought there was anything even remotely improper between any of us."

"Right," Micky said suddenly understanding. "That's a very good catch, Peter."

"Sorry, I didn't think you guys would mind," Peter said blushing a little.

"It's no problem, Peter," Piper smiled at him. "It was quick thinking and it worked. We won't be here very long anyway."

"Right," Mike agreed. "I hadn't even thought of that. But we need to figure out when and where we are as fast as possible so we don't make any more mistakes. In the meantime, Davy, come with me and we can work on whatever she needs fixing."

"Right," Davy said.

"Just try and sound like us," Micky said. "I don't want her finding out your British and getting mad at you."

"How about I just not talk," Davy said. "I've been here for years and haven't figured out how to get rid of my accent."

"Works for me," Mike said. "Just always make sure to stick with one of us in case you slip up."

"Got it," Davy nodded.

"You gonna be ok, Piper?" Mike asked before leaving.

"Sure," Piper answered. "I just need to stay off it for a while."

"Ok, Micky should stay here with her while I try and figure out when and where we are," Peter said. "I grew up in a historic town and spent a lot of time in museums and stuff back home. I should be able to figure it out pretty quickly."

"Good," Mike said. "We'll meet back here in a few hours."

"Here's hoping we'll be back home before then, though," Davy mumbled though none of them really believed that. If undoing the curse was dangerous enough to rip through the fabric of time and unravel everything thereby destroying the world, Micky was pretty sure it wouldn't be done in a few hours. They'd just have to sit it out and wait; however long it took.

* * *

Mike and Davy made their way back out to the bar to meet with the tavern woman again. Anne was behind the counter cleaning a few mugs and keeping an eye on a few new patrons that had showed up. In addition to the two men that were already there, another two had showed up and were talking in hushed tones in the corner with their mugs barely touched. They seemed to be discussing something rather important and rather secretive so Mike decided it would be best to steer clear of that particular table. Instead he walked straight up to the bar and smiled at Anne who returned the smile.

"I want to thank you again for your generosity," Mike said. "Micky is going to stay with Piper for now to make sure she rests."

"I hope she's not hurt too badly," Anne frowned.

"I don't think so," Mike assured her. "I think it's just a little twisted. She should be better with some rest."

"Of course," Anne said. "Well, I would first like for you boys to see if you could fix the back door. It hasn't closed right since the last storm."

"We'd be happy to look at it," Mike said. Anne threw one last look at the men in the corner before showing Mike and Davy where the door was. Mike looked at the door and could tell by first glance the wood was warped. It was an old-fashioned door, though for Anne it was modern, made of only wooden boards and hinges. It would be a relatively easy fix, though time consuming. They just had to cut new boards for the wood and fit them to the frame.

"There's wood in the alley behind here," Anne told them. "And there are tools over in the corner. Let me know if you need any help with anything."

"Sure thing," Mike said.

"You boys are very strange," Anne said looking at them suspiciously again.

"We aren't from around here," Mike answered.

"Sure," she answered. She seemed to think them over, but decided to walk back to the bar.

"You think she suspects something?" Davy asked once he was sure she had gone.

"Probably," Mike said. "Which just means that we need to be very careful." They spent several hours working on the door and finally got it to shut right. Mike and Davy were both very sore and tired and Mike was starting to realize the clothes didn't breathe very well which only added to their comfortableness.

"So hot," Davy said sitting down on the floor when they'd finished.

"These clothes aren't very well suited for building, are they," Mike mused. "No wonder they invent better clothes in the future."

"I am going to take the world's longest shower when we get home," Davy muttered. "I feel like my muscles are just going to walk away in protest."

"They'd have to move for that to happen," Mike answered causing a laugh from Davy. "Well, we didn't get much of a chance to rest after those tests in the Underworld."

"True," Davy said. "We'll sleep well tonight, though."

"Very true," Mike agreed. "And the first person who wakes me is getting punched in the face."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Davy laughed. They heard a loud yell come from the bar that caused them to jump up and run to the bar to investigate. When they got there, Mike saw that the two men who'd been in the corner hours ago were still sitting there, but they'd stopped talking and were now staring at the bar. A rather drunk man was standing at the bar yelling at Anne about something; Mike couldn't make out much of what he was saying to the severely slurred speech.

"You've had enough," Anne said backing away from him. "Please leave!"

"Make me!" the man roared back. He reached over and tried to grab Anne, but she backed up further and he fell off his stool instead. Mike cringed with how hard he hit the floor and decided that he should probably help Anne throw this drunkard out before he caused any real damage. Before Mike could reach them, however, the man ran behind the bar and grabbed Anne again and tried to rip her dress open. Davy and Mike reached him just before he could hurt her and together they pulled the man off her.

"I think the lady told you to leave," Mike said as he and Davy threw the man to the ground. Davy stood protectively in front of Anne while Mike stood ready to fight the man if need be.

"And who the blazes are you?" the man slurred, drooling a little. It took a lot of effort for Mike not to roll his eyes at the sight.

"Doesn't matter," Mike answered firmly. "She told you to leave, that means you leave. Now."

"Or what?" he dared trying to squint his eyes menacingly.

"Or we'll take you to the magistrate and see what he says," said one of the men who'd been in the corner.

"I can see when I'm not wanted," the drunk slurred and got up getting ready to leave. Instead, he turned and threw a stool at Mike who didn't duck in time. The stool smacked him in the head and he fell off his feet. The two men in the corner moved fast and grabbed the drunk before he could do anything else.

"Mike!" Davy exclaimed as he leaned down to make sure that he wasn't hurt. "Are you ok, mate?"

"Davy," Mike hissed realized he'd just used a very British word.

"Get out of here," one of the men had said to the drunk before turning to look at Davy and Mike.

"Where are you from?" the other man demanded looking at Davy.

"Gentlemen, these boys just saved me," Anne said quickly trying to defend them. "Leave them alone. All you did was sit in the corner."

"We try not to get involved in bar fights," the first man said still glaring at Davy.

"That wasn't a bar fight, idiot," Mike said getting up. "That was a drunken slob trying to assault Anne!"

"You haven't answered our question," the second man demanded. "Are you a damn redcoat?!"

"No!" Davy answered quickly.

"Leave him alone," Anne said.

"He's a damn, dirty Brit!" the first man declared.

"He's not going to do anything to hurt you," Mike said.

"So you don't deny it!" exclaimed the second man. "Why don't we see what the magistrate has to say about you!?" Before Mike could react, the men grabbed Davy and started pulling him out of the bar. Mike ran to go after them, but one of them turned and pointed a large pistol at him.

"Unless you want to join him, I suggest you back off," the man warned as his friend dragged Davy out kicking and screaming. When the man had left with Davy, the other man turned to leave, too.

"Damn!" Mike yelled trying to follow them.

"Mike!" Anne called after him. "You're never going to accomplish anything that way. Come back inside and we'll figure out how to get him back."

"Why would you help us?" Mike asked looking at her skeptically.

"Why would you help me?" she countered.

"Because it was the right thing to do," Mike answered. "But..."

"None of that now," she said pulling him back inside. "Get in here before they charge you with a crime, too."

"What exactly is Davy's crime?" Mike demanded. "Being British?!"

"Actually, yes," she answered. "Most of the people that live here lost loved ones in the war in this town. About 90% of the town buried their sons or husbands or brothers because of the British. Ever since, any time they see a British person, they charge him with treason. I thought you were all brothers."

"We are," Mike answered. "Sort of. What are they going to do to Davy?"

"He'll have to prove his place of birth and if he can't or proves he's British, they'll kill him," Anne answered.


	49. Jailed

Author's Note: As always, read and review.

Chapter 49: Jailed

"Can I see your foot?" Micky asked a while after his friends left to go do what they needed to do. Before waiting for a response, he took Piper's foot and set it in his lap. He gently took off her shoe and sock to inspect her ankle. He cringed inwardly when he saw just how swollen it was.

"It doesn't hurt when I don't stand on it," Piper said.

"Well, then we'll be sure to keep you off it for a while," Micky said. "It really should be iced, but I don't think that it will be all that easy to find ice around here."

"I think it'll be fine," Piper smiled. "I've sprained my ankle before. They usually only take a couple of days at the most to heal. Most minor ones even faster than that."

"This doesn't exactly look minor, though," Micky said.

"I'll be fine," Piper said. "I really do love how concerned you are and how much you care about me. You're sweet."

"If you say so," Micky laughed. "Most people call me annoying and hyper."

"Well, you're that, too," Piper smiled leaning over to kiss him.

"You know, this could be fun," Micky said moving to lean against the wall the bed was against so he could pull her close to him.

"What could?" Piper asked resting her head against his chest.

"This whole time travel thing," Micky answered. "You know I used to have dreams about doing that as a kid. It's one thing to read about history in books, but it's another to actually see it. I used to dream about going back in time to see everything I was ever interested in."

"Were you interested in the revolutionary war?" Piper asked.

"Oh yeah," Micky answered. "It's very interesting." They talked for hours about the Revolutionary war and several other periods of history that was of particular interest to Micky until they heard a commotion in the distance by the bar. Micky jumped up to see what was going on, but hesitated not wanting to leave Piper alone in case the Devil was up to something.

"Go," Piper said. "I'll be fine. I have my power; he doesn't."

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Micky asked.

"Yes, go!" Piper said. Micky pulled open the door and ran to the bar to see what was going on. When he got there, he was shocked to see Mike standing there looking pale and petrified as a ghost with blood on his forehead. He was talking to Anne who was looking a little disheveled and her clothes were even ripped.

"What happened!?" Micky exclaimed.

"They took Davy," Mike answered.

"What!?" Micky demanded. "Who took him!? Why?!"

"Some guys," Mike answered.

"They were part of the militia," Anne said. "Some of the only survivors from this town."

"They found out he was British and said they were going to take him to the magistrate," Mike continued.

"How did they find out?" Micky asked glancing worriedly at Anne. "I thought he was going to stay quiet?"

"He tried," Mike sighed, "but this drunk jerk tried to assault Anne and when Davy and I tried to intervene, he threw a bar stool at me. Davy got worried and it kinda slipped out."

"Why would they take him to the magistrate?" Micky asked. "Do they really hate the British that much?"

"I guess," Mike answered. "According to Anne most of the people lost loved ones to the British, so now they see them all as dangerous. They're going to try him as a traitor or an enemy of the state or whatever. If he's found guilty, they'll kill him."

"What!?" Micky exclaimed. "They can't do that!"

"I know," Mike said. "I tried to stop them, but they shoved a gun in my face. Anne says we can't just go busting in there."

"You have to wait for the trial," Anne said. "You have to prove he's innocent."

"But he's not," Mike pointed out. "He really was born in England, not that we can prove that anyway."

"Not innocent of being British, but innocent of being an enemy of the state," Anne said.

"How do we do that?" Mike asked.

"Wait, are you going to help us?" Micky asked. He could have sworn that he picked up on some very anti-British vibes earlier. "Don't you hate the British too? You lost your son to them too."

"Yes, and if you'd have asked me an hour ago, I would have told you the British all deserve to rot," she answered. "But your friend just stood up for me without even really knowing me. I realized that it's not right to hate someone based purely on where they come from. Those soldiers had loved ones just like us. Davy didn't kill my son, so why should I hold anything against him?"

"Thank you," Mike said. "Davy really is a good man with a kind heart."

"I've no doubt about that," Anne smiled. "From what I just saw...he was so worried about you and he was so ready to put himself in harm's way to defend me. That's all I needed to see to know that he is a good man."

"How do we prove that to the magistrate?" Micky asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Anne answered. "Normally I'd say you just testify to his character, but no one in this town knows you and no one will listen to you."

"And we can't just break him out?" Micky tried.

"No," Mike said. "We can't do anything like that. We can't change anything."

"I think we're already a little past that, Mike," Micky said. "His arrest will go on the record. It's gonna leave a mark."

"Davy Jones is a very common name," Mike reasoned. "It should be fine. But breaking him out would cause a disturbance. People would hunt him down, and that's sure to change what they're supposed to be doing."

"What are you two talking about?" Anne asked.

"We just really don't want to leave a footprint here," Mike said trying to cover up their slip. "We'd rather not interfere with anything and pretend like we never even set foot in this town."

"Well, I don't see how you're going to do that now," Anne answered.

"I know," Mike said. "Best not to make it worse though. Micky, is Piper still in the room?"

"Yeah," Micky answered. "Her ankle is pretty swollen. She needs to be off it as much as possible. Has Peter come back yet?"

"No," Mike answered. "I'm going to go find him. You talk to Piper. See if the two of you can't come up with an idea to save Davy. Anne, we appreciate the help, but we don't want to drag you into this. You have to live here when this is all over."

"I don't know how much more I can do to help anyway," Anne said. "I can speak to the magistrate in the morning and tell him what happened, but I don't even know if he'll listen to me."

"Thank you," Mike said. "We will figure something out."

"We always do," Micky said walking over to Mike to whisper quietly to him. "Be careful. He's still out there somewhere."

"I know," Mike answered. "But he can't kill any of us if he expects to get home."

"Doesn't mean he won't try and hurt you for the fun of it," Micky countered. "For all we know, he could have had a hand in this."

"True," Mike said. "But let's hope not." Micky walked back to the room. When he got in, he told Piper what had happened.

"I could try and come up with a spell to persuade the magistrate," Piper offered.

"No," Micky answered. "It's too risky. I don't want you using your magic here. I don't want to risk starting the Salem witch trials early with you. Otherwise I'd say just freeze the room and we'll bust him out. The only option we really have is to try and convince him that Davy's good."

"How do we do that?" Piper asked. "If they can just haul someone away from a tavern because he sounds British, I doubt very well they're going to listen to strangers."

"What other option do we have than to try," Micky sighed knowing full well it probably wouldn't work.

* * *

"You can't do this to me!" Davy exclaimed as the two men dragged him down a hallway in what looked like a very old cell.

"Shut it, Redcoat!" one of the men said. "Ya'lll ain't nottin' but murderous pigswine!"

"I didn't do anything!" Davy protested as they threw him unceremoniously into a cell. He landed on the floor very hard and felt pain shoot through his arm. He looked down and realized his elbow had landed on a rock on the floor.

"You lyin' scum!" the first man yelled. "Your kind killed half my family!"

"My 'kind'!?" Davy roared getting angry. "If it were for us, you never would have found this happy little island! Your ancestors and my ancestors are from the same place!"

"Then you and your little king turned your backs on us," the second man said. "And slaughtered hundreds of innocent boys and men."

"You guys did your fair share of killing, too!" Davy protested and immediately realized he shouldn't have said that. He was trying to get out of here, not make things worse. But his anger just kept getting the better of him.

"We did what we had to!" the second man yelled holding back the first who seemed far more to want to kill Davy right there before he was to see any magistrate. "You Brits pushed your little mercenaries through a town not far from here and we sent our families to defend. The horrors we saw when we got there paled in comparison to what those Hessians did to our men. You haven't seen misery until you've seen a boy with his throat slit simply for hanging a flag in support of the militia."

"Hessians?" Davy asked.

"Shut up," the first man grumbled.

"The mercenaries your King hired to kill our rebellion and take no mercy on us and our families," the second man said. "Which meant slaughter anyone and everyone who supported the uprising. Soldiers, women and children. Everyone. You are a filthy murderous people and you deserve to rot in hell like one."

"But I had nothing to do with that," Davy muttered now saddened by this information about the war. That was something he didn't read about in his history books.

"Maybe not, but that don't mean you won't try and avenge your fallen brothers!" the first guy rambled.

"I won't do anything like that," Davy pled. "My brothers are here! They're American!"

"Shut up!" the first man boomed again and banged against the bars of the cell for emphasis.

"Just let the magistrate sort it out," the less irate man said as he pulled the other one away from the cell. Davy was left alone in the cell and he immediately started looking for a way out. The bars were made of solid steel and didn't budge when he pulled and shook them. The walls were a sturdy brick that didn't even chip when he kicked it. The wall did more damage to his foot than he did to the wall. After about half an hour of trying various ways to escape, he gave up and sank onto the tiny little straw mattress on the floor of the room. He couldn't get out; he'd have to hope that Mike and the others thought something up. Why did he have to go and open his mouth? He promised Mike and the others he'd be quiet, but he couldn't even manage that.


	50. Revolution

Author's Note: The town is fake and so the town's history is made up, but the Hessians were real in case none of you knew that. :D I love history as much as I love rocks and writing. Yes, I'm one of those weird people that are both artistically minded and scientifically minded. Most are either one or the other…not me. Not really sure why, but I love being creative and smart. This chapter is very short, and I'm sorry about that, but I really wanted to end it the way I ended it. I felt adding anything to the end of this chapter would only lessen the sentiment.

Chapter 50: Revolution

Mike sat with Peter and the others in the room that Anne was letting them stay in. The room itself had four beds and Peter and Mike had one of their own but, even though Davy wasn't using his that night, Micky still insisted on sleeping on the same bed as Piper. He wanted to make sure she stayed safe. Mike knew it was because he was terrified she'd be the next one carried away since she was a witch and the people of this time were highly paranoid about witches and magic. It was late and Anne had given them dinner hours ago, but none of them could really sleep. They were all worried about Davy and none of them had come up with any ideas other than to try and talk their way out of it. Mike doubted it would work very well, but right now it was the only hopes they had. Peter had found out much needed information about the town and what time period they were in and hopefully they could use that information to their benefit.

"I found out the year is 1790," Peter had said. "It's in the middle of summer."

"So the Revolutionary War has only been over for around 7 years," Micky had said. "I can see why they still harbor hatred."

"It's not just that," Peter had said. "Something really bad happened. This is a small village in Georgia. About 30 miles from here was another settlement and 12 years ago that town was very outspoken against the British. They gave money, aid, and supplies to the militia and because they did that, the British ordered them wiped out to send a message. They came through with about 100 British soldiers and 200 Hessians."

"Hessians?" Micky had asked. "Isn't that what the headless horseman is from Sleepy Hollow?"

"Yes, but that story is just a legend," Peter had answered. "The Hessians themselves were real. They were mercenaries mostly from Hessia, Germany hired by the British to help squash the rebellion. But they were pretty brutal. Which is why the story used a Hessian as the horseman."

"What happened to the town?" Piper had asked.

"The Hessians came through the town and killed everyone," Peter had answered. "Men, women, children. Everyone died. The people in this town heard the British were on their way, and they headed over there to help as much as they could. But they got there too late. The Hessians had just set fire to every building to send their message when the militia arrived. They tried to fight, but they were severely outnumbered. The only ones who managed to live were the ones who retreated. And that was only a very small amount of people."

"You'd think they'd hate the Hessians," Micky had said.

"They do, but they also realized the Hessians only did it on orders of the British," Peter had said. "And the British were actually there with them and did nothing to stop it. So they hate both of them."

"So we have to prove that Davy isn't like that," Mike had said.

"After what happened to that town, I really don't think they're going to listen to strangers," Micky had said. They had all agreed, but no one could really think of anything else. They had finally decided to try and sleep so they wouldn't be so tired in the morning when they went to save Davy. They'd only been laying there for a couple of hours when Micky bolted straight up.

"I think I have an idea!" Micky exclaimed so suddenly that Mike jumped about a foot into the air and Peter nearly fell off the bed.

"Don't do that," Peter said.

"Sorry," Micky said excitedly. "It just hit me. The reason why Anne trusts him is because he defended her, right? So we just have to get the judge to see Davy perform a selfless act. Save someone. Defend someone in this town."

"Ok," Mike said. "It's a good start, but how do we do that? He's in jail. He can't do anything from inside prison."

"Ok, maybe I haven't thought that far ahead yet," Micky admitted. "But it's all I got."

"Like I said, it's a good start," Mike reassured him. "Doesn't mean it's a bad idea. We just have to work it through."

"Maybe we can have him save someone in the courtroom?" Peter suggested.

"That won't work," Piper said. "The other people in the courtroom will probably get to her first."

"Agreed," Mike said. "We have to do it with less people around. Make sure Davy is the only one who can do it."

"I don't see how we can do that," Peter said. "The courtroom is going to be packed and we can't see him before that to even tell him the plan."

"Maybe it really was a bad idea," Micky said glumly.

"It doesn't matter," Piper said resting her head back on his chest trying to make him feel a little better. "At least you're trying. That's what matters."

"Actually, I think it's a brilliant idea," Mike said as something clicked in his head.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. "We can't ensure Davy's going to save someone."

"Yes, we can," Mike answered. "These people are superstitious by nature. They're afraid of magic and the Devil, right?"

"We aren't asking him for help," Micky said flatly. "He wouldn't do it anyway."

"No, that's not what I mean," Mike said. "These people went nuts a hundred years ago over witches and killed a bunch of them. Well, we have a witch. Davy could save everyone from a witch."

"We are not sacrificing Piper," Micky said adamantly.

"I didn't say that, Micky," Mike said. "Of course I don't want to sacrifice Piper. Just bear with me for a moment. We make them think there's a witch somewhere or the Devil is playing with them in the courtroom. If Davy makes that stop, or appears to make it stop, and he conquers the witch, they'll have to let him go, right?"

"It could work," Peter started.

"You're still suggesting we sacrifice Piper," Micky said.

"No, because they won't know it's her," Mike said.

"That's really risky, Mike," Micky said. "We're the only outsiders here. We'd automatically be suspects."

"I don't know, Micky," Piper said. "I think it might be a better plan than trying to convince the magistrate that Davy's a good guy."

"I can't risk them hurting you," Micky said.

"Look, I told you before, I appreciate how much you care about me," Piper said obviously starting to get a little annoyed. "But I am a big girl. I can do what I want. We can use the massacre to our advantage. Make it seem like a ghost or a curse or something. Not an actual witch that they have to hunt down. That way, we don't risk changing history too much."

"Good point," Peter said. "If we make them think there's a witch here, we could drastically change history by starting a whole new witch trial. It could be like Salem all over again. But if it's a curse, it may not even go down in the history books because this is such a small town that doesn't even exist in the future."

"It doesn't?" Mike asked.

"No, I looked at a map," Peter said. "I remember driving through this area when I was a kid on the way home from Florida. This whole area eventually just turns into farmland."

"Well, that's convenient," Mike said.

"Probably why Chronos chose this place," Piper said. "So there's not much the Devil can do to change history. This town's history gets wiped out."

"Ok, so why can't we just break him out?" Micky said.

"And go where?" Mike said. "We don't know how long we're going to be here. We break him out, they're gonna come after us. If they chase us, that could affect some other town's history. And for all we know, we could be changing someone's destiny by making them chase after us. Besides, Piper can't really travel very far on her foot. We need to completely clear his name."

"Alright, alright," Micky said giving in, though he sounded frustrated. Mike felt bad that they were kind of outnumbering him and ganging up on him, but Mike knew this was the best plan. And part of it was Micky's own idea; Mike never would have thought of it without Micky. Mike was actually able to get a few hours of staggered sleep, but every time he woke up, he looked over at his friends. Peter was asleep most of the time and Piper fell asleep a few times, but Micky never did. He was holding on to Piper as if he were about to lose her, and when he saw it guilt ripped through Mike's stomach. He realized in that moment that Micky was truly in love with Piper even if he wouldn't admit it; he was terrified something would go wrong tomorrow and he'd lose her. As Mike tried to go to sleep one last time that night, he made a silent vow to personally make sure that nothing would happen to Piper. If she meant that much to Micky, she would mean that much to the rest of them, too.


	51. Ghostly Encounter

Author's Note: Longer chapter to follow the short one. Hope you like. Please review!

Chapter 51: Ghostly Encounter

"Psst, Davy!" Micky whispered through the bars of the window on Davy's cell. It had taken them some time to figure out which cell was Davy's that morning, but they finally found it. It was high up in the wall, so Micky unfortunately had to stand on Peter's back just to reach the window, but he still wasn't high enough to see anything. The top of his head reached the bottom of the window.

"What?" Davy said sounding confused. "What's going on?"

"Davy!" Micky whispered again. "The window!"

"Huh?" Davy said. Micky couldn't see what Davy was doing or even if he was looking at the window.

"Peter, is there any way you can get me higher?" Micky asked.

"Not unless you want me to break my back," Peter said painfully. "This already hurts like hell."

"Micky, I can help," Piper said from where she was sitting and leaning against a tree. Mike was keeping watch at the end of the building for anyone who might stumble upon them.

"Too risky," Micky mumbled. He really didn't like the idea that they were going to utilize her powers to save Davy anyway, if she used her powers now in the open to levitate him, their chance of being caught increased.

"No one is around," Piper said even as he felt himself rise higher. "Just relax. Mike and Peter can keep watch if anyone comes." Micky rolled his eyes a little and decided not to argue; it would have been best to just get this over with.

"Micky?" Davy asked as soon as he saw Micky in the window. "I couldn't really make out what you were saying before. How are you up that high?"

"Piper," Micky answered. "Not the point. We have to hurry before we get caught. We have a plan to get you out of this."

"What?" Davy asked looking excited.

"We're going to use Piper's powers in the courtroom," Micky answered. Davy started to argue, but Micky continued before Davy could say anything. "There was a massacre at a neighboring town about 12 years ago by the British soldiers and the Hessians at the height of the Revolutionary War. If we make it seem like there's a ghost here because of it. All you have to do is go along with it and say you know how to end it and save the town. If you do that, they'll see you as a hero and let you go."

"Do you really think that will work?" Davy asked. "That Piper won't get caught? What if they find out it's her? Won't they just put her in here with me?"

"Actually, with how these people are, they'll probably take her straight to the gallows and hang her without a trial," Micky said flatly feeling the sense of dread grow inside his stomach.

"Don't think that way, Micky," Piper said. "I'll be fine."

"Look, I don't really like this plan, but it's all we got to save your butt so just go along with it," Micky said.

"Why can't you just bust me out?" Davy asked.

"Too risky," Micky answered. "It would change history too much and we don't know how long we're going to be stuck in this time. I'd rather not have to worry about running from a bunch of gun-toting, paranoid townsmen."

"Ok," Davy said. "Just tell me what I have to do." Micky told Davy what Piper had told them he would have to do to get rid of the "ghost" that would haunt the town. As soon as Davy told them he understood the plan, Micky said they'd see Davy in couple of hours when the trial started and Piper set Micky back down. He started walking back to the tavern to wait for the start of the trial. He felt bad for making Peter help Piper back to the tavern, but he couldn't really stand to be that close to her right then. He wasn't really sure why he was so angry that she'd used her power in the open after he'd asked her not to. He knew it wasn't because he was trying to be controlling, but rather he was terrified that something would happen to her. When they got back to the tavern, Micky sat on the edge of the bed Mike had slept on the night before and Peter helped Piper sit on her bed.

"We're…uh…we're gonna go see if Anne needs any help," Mike said before he and Peter ducked out rather quickly. It was obvious they sensed tension between Piper and Micky and wanted to leave them alone.

"What's the matter with you?" Piper demanded when Mike closed the door behind him.

"I don't think you should be using your powers in the open," Micky said without looking at her. "I don't think we should be doing this at all."

"I've spent years hiding my powers from the rest of the world, Micky," Piper answered angrily. "I know how to hide."

"Yeah, that's why you run a magic shop," Micky answered back sarcastically.

"People in our time know the religion of wicca exists," she said. "But they don't know that some followers actually have magical powers. They think all I do is light a candle and dance around in a funny black hat. I run that shop to help new witches figure out how to deal with their powers."

"I understand that, but the people here are a lot more paranoid," Micky said.

"I understand that, but we can't just let Davy suffer in jail like this," Piper said. "This really is the best way to save him and you know it."

"I know," Micky sighed. "But I feel like I'm being forced to choose between letting you die and letting Davy die."

"You aren't," Piper said a little more softly. "Micky, everything is going to be ok."

"We don't know that," Micky answered. "Not for sure."

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Piper asked.

"Because I don't want you to die!" Micky exclaimed as though the answer were obvious.

"I understand that," Piper said. "But I haven't seen you get this emotional or protective when your friends were in trouble. I know better than to think it's because I'm a woman and I'm more fragile than your friends."

"Of course that isn't it," Micky breathed.

"Then what?" Piper said.

"I've seen them die," Micky answered after a few minutes of silence. He buried his face in his hands still trying to erase the images. He didn't see Piper cross the room over to the bed he'd been sitting on but he felt her sit next to him and wrap her arms around him. "I can't have that happen to you. I won't."

"Micky, they didn't die," Piper said.

"I know that," Micky answered. "But I still see them. Their eyes, their faces. As much as I tell myself it wasn't real, it was real to my heart. I saw the fear in Davy's eyes when he died. I saw the sadness in Mike's and I saw the emptiness in Peter's. I can't let that happen again."

"Which is exactly why I need to do this," Piper said.

"I know," Micky said. "And I'm not saying I am more ok with Davy dying than you, but…I don't know."

"You're upset because you feel like you're sacrificing me for your friend," Piper said.

"That's part of it," Micky answered.

"And the other part?" Piper pushed.

"I think I love you," Micky said before thinking about it.

"What?" Piper asked looking at him. He suddenly felt very warm and self-conscious. He almost didn't want to repeat himself, but he suddenly felt like he had to. He realized that he was in love with her and that's why he was being so overprotective. He loved her and he didn't want anything to happen to her at all, let alone before she even knew it.

"I love you," Micky said a little more firmly looking directly at Piper. She seemed a little stunned for a second, but a smile stretched across her face.

"I love you, too," Piper said. Micky smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Somehow this kiss was different than any they'd shared before. It somehow felt more right; more passionate. It felt perfect. Even the warmth of her hand against his chest somehow felt better. He melted into the kiss and something inside him felt amazingly better. He wasn't so scared anymore. He wasn't so angry. He suddenly felt a sense of hope replace the despair and anxiety that had previously engulfed him.

* * *

"What was that all about anyway?" Peter asked Mike as they walked out to the bar.

"It's complicated," Mike answered. Peter definitely sensed something between the two of them and really hoped they could work it out, but he also wanted to help them work it out. Instead Mike had pulled them both out of the room.

"Why can't we help?" Peter asked.

"It's complicated," Mike said again.

"I'm not stupid, Mike," Peter said. "I can understand complicated things."

"I never said you were," Mike answered. "It's just…They have to work this out on their own."

"Why?" Peter asked. "Is something wrong with them?"

"No," Mike said. "He…he's in love with her and I don't know if he knows it."

"Then how do you know that?" Peter asked a little stunned.

"I can just tell by looking at them," Mike said. "It's the way he looks at her. It's the way he holds her. And why he's being so overprotective. He's terrified of losing her. He doesn't want to lose any of us, but he's more terrified of losing her right now because he either doesn't realize he loves her or hasn't admitted it."

"Oh," Peter said trying to look back and see the way they interacted with each other. "I guess I can see that."

"That's why they need to work this out alone," Mike said. "I don't think he's ever going to say it with us around."

"Probably not," Peter said. "Are they going to be ok?"

"They'll be fine," Mike assured him. "Just give them a little time." Over the next few hours, Peter and Mike worked on little things around the tavern that Anne needed their help with. When it came time to go to the trial, Anne closed her tavern to join them. Mike told her that wasn't necessary, but she insisted everyone in the town would be at the courtroom anyway. As Mike helped Anne close up, Peter went to get Micky and Piper. Not wanting to interrupt anything, he knocked on the door and waited for Micky to answer. Instead Micky just came to the door with Piper and they left, both looking much happier and more relaxed.

Once they arrived in the courtroom, Peter marveled at how intricate the architecture was. The building was made of red brick with white pillars surrounding the entrance. The top of the building housed a large, ornate steeple. The windows lining the walls were very large and ornate. The interior was all built with dark mahogany wood. At the end of the room was a large grouping of pews where the townspeople were already starting to gather in. At the other end of the courthouse was a rounded alcove with mahogany benches and pulpits lined the wall. The magistrate and several other members of the clerk were already seated along the wall. In the center of the room was a small table and chair with a metal ring sticking up from the floor under the chair. Peter cringed as he realized that was where Davy would be sitting. And he would likely be chained to the floor on that metal ring.

"You ready for this?" Mike whispered to Piper as they sat down, Piper in between Mike and Micky with Peter on the end next to Mike.

"Yep," Piper answered. "You guys?"

"Absolutely," Micky answered squeezing her hand a little. "Just be careful."

"I will," Piper smiled at him. A door on the side of the courthouse opened and two men shoved Davy inside. He was chained at the arms and feet and stumbling a little as they pushed Davy to the chair and chained him to the floor. Peter's stomach clenched and he wanted to say or do something to help his friend, but Mike put a hand on Peter's shoulder to calm him down.

"Just relax, Peter," Mike whispered. "Stick to the plan and everything will be fine." Peter reluctantly nodded and waited while the proceedings began. Davy pled his case and Anne even got up and stated that Davy had heroically stood up for her. Piper waited for Anne's testimony to end before starting with the "ghost" tricks. She started out small by making a few papers flutter to the ground, which the people attributed to the wind.

"Go bigger," Mike whispered next to her. Piper nodded and wiggled her finger slightly so that no one would see her movements. As the magistrate reached for his gavel, apparently ready to declare Davy guilty, the gavel slid across the pulpit and clattered to the floor. The room fell silent as everyone tried to figure out what had just happened. Piper wiggled her finger again as the magistrate tried to reach down for the gavel and slid it further away from him.

"What is the meaning of this?" the magistrate demanded angrily. "Who is doing this?"

"No one is touching it," answered one of the clerics. The magistrate got down from the bench and tried to walk after his gavel, but Piper flicked her wrist very discreetly and the gavel flew out an open window.

"What is this magic?!" shrieked another member of the clergy.

"What are you doing, Redcoat?!" another demanded staring at Davy.

"I'm chained to the floor," Davy answered calmly. "How could I possibly be doing this?"

"More," Mike whispered to Piper. Piper nodded and flicked her wrist very discreetly again and all the windows in the courthouse slammed opened and closed repeatedly for a minute. Several people screamed and huddled in fright in the center of the courthouse. Mike, Peter and Piper made sure to react the same way to keep up appearances and keep suspicion off them.

"Demon!" someone screamed. Piper wiggled her fingers again and the feathery pen that had been sitting atop the magistrate's desk lifted into the air and scribbled on the paper on the desk. Several men rushed to see what it read.

"Die, Rebels," one of the clerics read.

"What is that?" another asked fearfully.

"Go for it," Micky whispered indicating the climax of the plan; their way to push the frightened people over the edge. Piper flicked her wrist discreetly again and the magistrate flew down the alley toward Davy, stopping just inches from him. As he tried to gather himself, Piper flicked again and a chandelier fell from the ceiling, zooming toward the magistrate. Davy had just enough slack in the chains binding him to knock the magistrate out of the way, just as planned. Everyone else was too terrified to do anything, so it was Davy who'd saved the magistrate. He looked fearfully at Davy and then the chandelier that was almost the death of him.

"What is happening?" the magistrate muttered frightfully.

"I've seen this before," Davy said going with the plan. "This isn't magic, this is a haunting. You have yourselves a very angry ghost."

"What are you talking about?" the magistrate asked.

"A dead person!" Davy exclaimed. "A ghost! Coming back for revenge!"

"That's preposterous!" the magistrate sputtered. A piece of the chandelier zoomed just passed his head and he dropped back down to the ground as the crowd of people gasped again.

"You were saying?" Davy asked.

"What do we do?!" the magistrate demanded. "Don't let it kill me!"

"Relax," Davy told the magistrate and stood up to address the "ghost" boldly amidst gasps of shock from the onlookers. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"The pen!" a cleric exclaimed as the feathered pen once again took to paper. "Hessian. Revenge."

"One of the Hessians we killed?" someone near Peter muttered.

"The massacre I heard about," Davy said looking at the magistrate still cowering on the floor, "did any Hessians die?"

"We only managed to kill a couple of them," someone answered.

"Well, now I'd say he's mad and wants revenge," Davy said pointing at the paper.

"How do we know you aren't doing this, Redcoat?" someone demanded. Every door in the room began to slam open and closed along with all the windows.

"How can I be doing this when I'm still chained to the floor?" Davy demanded over the noise. "But I have seen this before. Someone read a passage from the bible over and over again at the site where the person died and the haunting stopped."

"What passage?" the magistrate asked.

"The 23rd psalm," Davy answered. "In the meantime, you'll be safe in the church. I suggest everyone gather there and the reverend take a group out to the site of the massacre tonight."

"What are you waiting for?" the magistrate asked when everyone just stood still. "Go! Do what he says!"

"What if he's lying?" a cleric asked.

"It's not going to hurt anything to try, now is it!?" the magistrate said running from the room.


	52. Exorcised

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Got a little case of writer's block.

Chapter 52: Exorcised

"How do we know it worked?" the magistrate asked fearfully the next morning.

"Well, you could always try to provoke another attack by the ghost," Davy suggested. They were all gathered in the church waiting for word from the preacher and the men who bravely volunteered to go with him. Mike and the others gathered in a corner of the church. Everyone had basically taken control of their own little space in the church and even though no one really slept, no one really spoke much either. Mike felt terrible for scaring these people like this. Especially the children who truly were innocent in all this.

"What happens if it didn't work and it attacks me?" the magistrate asked shakily.

"Take me with you and I'll protect you," Davy said who was still chained at the wrists. "I sort of have a sixth sense about these things."

"You can't trust him," someone said. "What if this is a set-up? A way to round us all up in one place to massacre us?"

"Why don't we ask his friend," someone else said turning to Mike. It was the same man who had carried Davy out of the tavern and who's friend pointed a gun at him.

"Well, for starters, weren't you all in the same place at the courthouse?" Mike pointed out defensively. "What's the difference between having you all in the courthouse and having you all in the church?"

"I...well..." the man grunted at a loss for words.

"Look," Mike said. "Davy's just trying to help you out here. Davy saved Anne when you sat there and did nothing. Davy saved the magistrate from a ghost in the courthouse and he told you what you have to do to save the whole town from a dead Hessian! What more does he have to do to prove to you that he's a good guy!?"

"We don't know that he saved anyone yet," the magistrate muttered shakily. Mike couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"We know he saved Anne in her tavern and you in the courtroom," Mike said. "And if you would grow a pair and go outside, you'd find out that you're safe from the ghost, too. I promise you, he knows what he's talking about. You're safe now."

"And if you're lying?" someone said. "What if you set this whole thing up to trick us?"

"How?" Mike asked. "We don't know anything about this town; we're travellers. We don't know who any of you people are. We were travelling north when we got robbed by a large group of thieves and Piper was hurt. That's the only reason we're staying here. We needed a place for her to recover before we continue on. We've been helping Anne in her tavern in exchange for a room. How could we have possibly had the time to set this up?"

"If you're witches, you don't need time," the man retorted.

"We aren't witches," Mike answered coldly.

"Then you're consorting with the Devil," someone else muttered. Next to him Micky stifled a chuckle and Piper smacked him to keep him quiet.

"I can honestly tell you we are not consorting with the Devil," Peter said.

"Enough of this," the magistrate said and started walking toward the front door of the church. Davy had a look of fear on his face as the men were suddenly questioning Mike and the others, but when the magistrate dismissed it, he relaxed. The room fell deathly silent as the magistrate walked out of the church and waited. They heard no screams or shouts, as Mike expected, and slowly people bravely walked outside to join him. Mike soon joined the few brave townspeople outside and saw the magistrate standing in the middle of the road. He looked like he was scared, but trying to muster up enough courage to move forward. As soon as he took a step forward, the preacher rode up on horseback with the rest of the men he'd taken with him.

"Did it work?" the preacher asked dismounting.

"That's what we're testing now," the magistrate asked.

"Well, how long are we supposed to stand out here to know if it worked?" someone in the crowd asked.

"I've been here several minutes and experienced nothing," the magistrate answered firmly. "I say we go about our daily lives and if nothing has happened by tonight..."

"You'll let our friend go?" Peter asked hesitantly as the magistrate paused.

"No one has proven his innocence!" exclaimed the man who'd arrested Davy.

"If he has saved us from the ghost, doesn't that mean he's not a traitor?" a woman boldly asked from the crowd. "Anne and her family have lived in this town for generations. If she says he is innocent I believe her."

"Anne is not the only woman in this town to be hassled by drunks," said another woman. "No one has tried to do anything to stop them until this man. That alone speaks to his character."

"And we all saw with our very eyes he saved the magistrate in the courthouse," said a young man. Mike felt a glimmer of hope rise in him; it was working.

"If he has also saved the town from a ghostly Hessian attack, then by all means we should declare the boy innocent!" said another man. Everyone turned to the magistrate, however, as he had the final say in the matter.

"I tend to agree," the magistrate answered eyeing Davy who had followed them all out but was still shackled. "If the night passes with no further incident, you are free to go."

"Yes!" Peter exclaimed. Mike stifled a laugh and shot him a look that told him to mellow out in case they drew even more unwanted attention. Peter blushed a little as everyone stared at him and moved to stand behind Mike shyly. The townspeople set about their day as they normally would with Mike and Peter helping Anne fix a leaky spot in the roof of her tavern. Micky stayed with Piper in their room trying to keep her foot elevated and brought her food and anything else she needed as the day progressed. When Mike and Peter laid down to rest, Mike fell asleep pretty quickly. Micky had to wake him to let him know that Anne was bringing them dinner. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the magistrate decided that nothing further was going to happen to him or the town, and he let Davy go as promised.

They spent the next day enjoying Davy's release and celebrating their victory. They had to keep things a little quiet because a few members of the town still did not trust Davy and were angry that he'd even been released. The night after Davy's release, Anne, Piper and the boys were sitting around the bar after it had closed laughing and regaling each other with stories. The boys made sure to tailor stories of their adventures to make it fit with their current times so as not to arouse suspicion from Anne. She trusted them now, but they didn't want to do anything to mess that up by alerting her that they were indeed at least partially magical and had traveled there by paranormal means. She had just finished telling them about how her husband had proposed to her when Mike heard a loud crashing noise followed by a slight whoosh. He turned along with his friend and realized someone had thrown a molotov cocktail in through the window and the fire was spreading quickly.

"No!" Anne exclaimed just as Piper began to throw up her hands to freeze time. Mike quickly pushed her hands down knowing they could handle a little fire on their own and there was no need to risk getting caught using her powers.

"Davy, get Anne and Piper out of here," Mike ordered jumping up and rushing to the fire to try and put it out. Peter and Micky grabbed a bucket full of water from behind the counter and carried it over as Mike began frantically tossing anything flammable out of the way to keep the fire from spreading, including tables and chairs that were all made of wood. The three of them were quickly able to put the fire out and Micky stamped on the cloth that had been shoved in the bottle and drenched with flammable oil until it went out.

"Ow!" Micky exclaimed and hopped around on one foot.

"Micky, are you ok?" Peter asked rushing over to help him sit down on one of the chairs still standing.

"Yeah," Micky answered. "I guess they make shoes better than they used to. Burned right through the shoe and got my foot."

"No one else got hurt?" Mike asked surveying the room. The fire hadn't really damaged much of anything; just a table and a few chairs had gotten scorched, but nothing more than that. The window was shattered and would need to be replaced, but Mike was glad that Micky's foot was their only injury.

"I'm fine," Peter said as he took what was left of Micky's shoe off to inspect his foot.

"Peter, it's just a burn, I'll be fine," Micky insisted.

"You can come back in!" Mike called out the back where Davy had pushed Anne and Piper. A moment later they all came back in, Piper leaning on Davy's shoulders a little since her foot was still hurting.

"Hey look, we match!" Micky laughed trying to joke about it.

"What happened?!" Piper exclaimed not finding anything funny about it.

"Nothing," Micky said realizing he'd just freaked her out. "It's just a little burn. No big deal."

"There's some aloe vera growing out back," Anne said.

"I'll get it," Davy said and darted out back.

"I don't think there's much damage," Mike sighed. "We can fix it. I just don't know where to get a new window. I'm so sorry, Anne. If I'd known they were going to do this..."

"Mike, please," Anne said softly. "This isn't your fault. Things like this happen. Not often, but they happen. I'm just glad no one got seriously hurt."

"It doesn't look that bad," Peter said.

"Still best to put some aloe on it and keep it wrapped," Anne said reaching behind the bar to grab a clean rag so Peter could wrap Micky's foot. Mike started trying to clean up the mess as Davy came back with a piece of the aloe plant. Davy handed the plant to Peter who started tending to Micky's foot while Micky grumbled he was fine and Davy went to help Mike cleanup a little.

"Watch the glass," Mike said and Davy nodded. Anne brought over a broom for them to sweep some of the glass up and a rag to try and clean the scorch marks.

"Should we tell someone about this?" Piper asked sitting next to Micky as Peter finished wrapping Micky's foot.

"It's not going to do anything," Anne said. "We don't know who did this or why."

"What do you mean we don't know why?" Davy asked angrily. "They did this because of me!"

"More than likely," Anne sighed. "But we can't prove that. It could have just been a fluke."

"Yeah right," Davy snorted sarcastically.

"Davy, this isn't your fault," Anne said. "Even if they did this because of you, it's not your fault. You do know that, right?" Davy didn't say anything; he just kept sweeping the glass up into a pile.

"Davy?" Peter pushed.

"Maybe we should head out of town once we fix all this," Davy said.

"That's not necessary," Anne said. "Piper is still hurt and can't travel, and now so is Micky. You won't get very far with these two both unable to walk. This isn't your fault."

"It's not," Mike said knowing trying to convince Davy of that was pretty useless right now but still wanting to push past the subject. "But we are still going to make sure everything gets fixed and cleaned up." Anne looked as though she wanted to say something else to try and convince Davy this wasn't his fault, but he wasn't really listening to anyone anymore. Once they'd gotten the mess as cleaned up as they were going to that night, they all went to bed. Davy and Mike slept a little more fitfully than the others. Mike knew Davy couldn't sleep because he felt too much guilt and Mike couldn't sleep because he was too worried.

The next morning, no one said anything else about what had happened the night before to Davy, but Davy set to work immediately trying to fix the table that had broken, but Mike knew it was useless; they'd need to build a whole new table and the only one of them that good with wood was Micky. So Davy and Mike worked to at least try and get a new window put in while Micky worked to make a new table. They had finally finished everything early the next morning and Anne told them to relax for the rest of the day and that she didn't need their help with anything else.

Later that night, they decided to walk around the town to get some fresh air. Mike thought it would be good for Davy to try and get his mind off Anne and the tavern. Piper was able to limp on her foot a little and Micky was able to at walk a little as well, so they walked a little out of town and enjoyed looking at the stars for a while. It was something they would never be able to see back home in their own time. There was absolutely no light pollution blocking out the stars. They sat mesmerized by how beautiful the night sky was when they suddenly heard a loud crack that thundered across the night. The ground shook and all five sat up straight. Peter looked scared for a moment, but Mike realized it was the same sound as when they had been transported here in the first place. He braced himself for the ground to open and to be swallowed like before. When they finally hit the ground again, Mike stood up and looked around.

"Everyone ok?" Mike asked.

"I'm good," Peter answered. "Do we have to land so roughly when we do that?"

"We aren't going to be doing that again," Davy answered. "We're home!"

"Uh...Davy..." Micky said pointing at something behind them. Mike slowly turned around slowly filling with dread at the look on Micky's face. In the distance, Mike saw a group of men on horseback and a covered wagon. The men wore clothes and hats that reminded Mike of those worn back in Texas in old west tourist towns. Though something told Mike this wasn't a re-enactment of the old west. And these men weren't actors or employees at a tourist attraction.


	53. In the Old West

Author's Note: Ok, I'm not sure if I'm going to take a break from this or not. I seem to have lost a all my fans except two. Is this story going too long? Please let me know. I do have two other stories to work on.

Chapter 53: In the Old West

"This can't be..." Peter breathed.

"No!" Davy shouted angrily. "No, no, no!"

"Davy, calm down," Piper said sympathetically. "Getting angry isn't going to accomplish anything."

"I don't understand," Micky said more to himself than anyone else. "I thought Chronos was going to send us back home. Why were we sent here?"

"Maybe he didn't mean to," Piper said. "He's working on trying to fix it; maybe this is just an unforeseen complication from the curse."

"Can we expect to jump around to more eras?" Mike asked.

"I really don't know," Piper said. "Maybe."

"This is insane," Davy muttered. "I just want to go home."

"We all do, Davy," Mike said. "But we don't have much of a choice."

"What do we do now?" Peter asked. "Try to blend in again?"

"Unless you wanna sleep out here on the ground tonight," Mike said. "With the snakes and scorpions."

"Uh, let's not," Micky said shuddering at the thought.

"Wait a second," Piper said. "I was a little bored and came up with a spell yesterday that might help us so we can fit in better. It's a spell that should alter the state of our clothes."

"What?" Davy asked.

"She can manipulate our clothing to match those of this era," Mike explained.

"So we don't have to steal more clothes?" Peter asked hopefully.

"No," Piper said.

"And you can make them less itchy and heavy?" Micky asked.

"Yes," Piper laughed a little. "Hold still." Piper closed her eyes and muttered a little under her breath. Micky suddenly felt a temporary cold sensation envelop his body as if someone were wrapping a wet blanket around him. He looked down and saw he was now dressed in the same style as the men off in the distance.

"I like these," Peter said admiring his own new getup. All four boys wore the same outfit that appeared to be what passed for formal attire of the time: a dark tail coat and trousers with a dark waistcoat, and a shirt with a winged collar, a top hat, and heeled boots with a slightly narrow toe. The way Piper was dressed nearly took Micky's breath away. She wore a dark purple corseted gown trimmed with lace that matched her black boots and small purple lace hat.

"They are more comfortable than the other ones," Davy said.

"Still just as hot, though," Micky said.

"I think that may be the location more than the clothes," Mike said scanning the horizon. "We're obviously in the middle of the desert. It looks like there's a water tower out there. That means there's a town. We should head that way."

"Are we going to use the same cover story?" Peter asked following Mike as he started leading the way.

"It worked last time," Micky said. "I don't see why not."

"I don't know if we'll get lucky again and get free room and food in exchange for work," Mike said.

"Worth a shot to ask," Piper said.

"At least they don't hate the British," Davy said. "I don't have to worry about being arrested."

"Nonetheless, we should all just keep a low profile," Mike said. "I don't know exactly what era we're in, but it appears to be old west. Which means they're still strict on morals. If you guys are ok with it, I'd like to stick to the story you two are married so we don't attract any unwanted attention."

"Agreed," Micky said. "I really don't want to go through anything like what we just went through and I'm pretty sure if they convicted people just for adultery in this time, they'll have a field day with an unmarried woman sleeping in the same room as four men."

"It would be nice if we had money to get separate rooms," Peter said.

"I'd rather be able to keep an eye on Piper," Micky said. "We haven't seen the Devil for days. I'm hazarding a guess that he's in this time period along with us and I don't want to run the risk that he decides to mess with us just to have a little fun."

"You think he would?" Davy asked.

"I imagine he's a little bored," Piper acknowledged. "Who knows what he might do."

"If he kills any of us, he won't get home though," Peter said.

"Won't stop him from toying with us," Mike said. "I'm with Micky. We all stick together. Just to be safe."

"Agreed," Davy added as they reached the town. The distinct smell of manure struck Micky's nose as they passed a stable on the edge of town. The streets were lined with dozens of little shops and people walked the streets talking in hushed tones. They appeared to be gossiping about something, but Micky could only hear snippets of their conversations and couldn't put anything together.

"I wonder where we are," Davy asked.

"I wonder when we are," Mike added. "Because if that's the same place I'm thinking of, I know where we are."

"What?" Micky asked trying to follow Mike's gaze. Finally he realized Mike was staring at a sign reading OK Corral and Livery. Something about it seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't remember.

"What's that?" Davy asked.

"The OK Corral," Mike answered. "The site of one of the biggest old west shoot-outs in history."

"Oh yeah," Micky said remembering something about that from his history books. "Between the Earps, right?"

"Earps and the Clantons in the booming mining town of Tombstone," Mike answered. "It was like a bedtime story back in Texas. You'd be shunned if you didn't know the story."

"Isn't Tombstone in Arizona?" Peter asked.

"Yes, but it's still the old west," Mike answered.

"So it's like cowboy legend?" Micky asked. Someone walking past suddenly stared at them in a very odd way. Micky felt chills go down his spine before the person finally walked out of their sight.

"What was that?" Davy asked.

"Don't say the word "cowboy" around here," Mike answered quietly and started shuffling them down the street. "Those are the bad guys. They're the bandits around here. Being a cowboy is not a good thing."

"Oh," Micky said not realizing that cowboy had ever had such a bad connotation.

"Let's just find a hotel and lay low," Davy suggested.

"First we have to find a way to cover the cost," Mike said. "This is a booming mining town and because of all the robberies and general lawlessness they don't take too kindly to strangers."

"So what should we do then?" Peter asked.

"Not sure yet," Mike answered as he scanned the street looking for something. Micky assumed he was looking for a hotel or something. "But for now just act like you belong here."

"Right," Micky said following Mike as he set off down the street again. Micky looked at all the buildings around them and didn't realize where Mike was leading them until they stopped in front of a large building on the corner near the OK Corral. It was a large two story building with a balcony wrapping around the second story and a large sign reading Occidental Hotel wrapping around the top. Their boots clicked on the wooden planks surrounding the building that served to keep the dirt from the roads out of the building as Mike and the others walked into the hotel and up to the counter.

"Hello," Mike said to the man behind the counter. "We were hoping you could help us. See we're travellers and we were robbed not far from here and we need a place to stay."

"Robbed?" the man asked.

"Yes," Mike answered. "We don't know who they were; their faces were covered. But we need some shelter until we can get our things in order."

"Sorry," the man said. "I feel for you, buddy, but I can't give you nothing for free."

"I understand," Mike said. "But maybe we can help out for a little. Work it off."

"There's nothing I need doing," the man said. "Have you reported the robbery yet?"

"No," Mike said. "We just got into town. We really don't want to be a bother. We're just passing through."

"Well, sorry," the man said sympathetically. "I can't help you. I wish I could."

"Thanks anyway," Mike said as the three of them walked out of the lobby together.

"Now what?" Davy asked.

"Scuse me," said a woman behind them. They all turned to see a woman dressed in a very provocative bright red version of what Piper was wearing leaning against the wall of the hotel. "Did I just overhear you folks need some money?"

"We really aren't interested," Mike said quickly trying to leave.

"But you ain't even heard what I got to say," the woman protested.

"Look, Miss," Mike said trying to sound sympathetic, "we really would just like to mind our own business and lay low."

"Well, unless you wanna lay next to the horses, I know how you can get some money," she smiled. "That is, if any of ya'll really can sing."

"Sing?" Davy asked.

"How do you know we sing?" Peter asked.

"I have my ways, darlin," she smiled staring directly at Piper now. Micky instinctively moved to stand in front of her not really knowing what this woman was talking about but feeling the need to protect her anyway.

"How do we get money singing?" Davy asked.

"There was supposed to be a woman singing at the theater down the street," she answered. "Only problem is, she died this morning."

"That's sad," Peter said.

"Yes, well, it was her own fault," the woman said almost conspiratorially. "I warned her not to get involved with a married man."

"So are you suggesting we take her place?" Mike asked.

"If you want some good money," she smiled. "If they like ya, you'll get a good little stipend."

"At the Bird Cage I'm assuming?" Mike asked.

"You know your history, my dear," she laughed.

"What?" Micky asked confused. Why exactly had she used that word?

"Thanks for the offer, but we'll have to think about it," Mike said.

"Just don't think about it too long," she said ignoring Micky and walking away. "Unless you wanna sleep with the horses."

"What's the Bird Cage?" Davy asked.

"It's a world famous theater," Mike answered quietly. "Or at least it will be. It's not exactly known for catering to upper class clientele, though."

"It caters more to her type," Micky said. "Lots of drinking, gambling, and...other stuff."

"Oh," Davy said.

"Which is exactly why I really don't think we should go anywhere near there," Mike said.

"But what are we going to do for money then?" Peter asked innocently. "All we would have to is get on stage and sing."

"And sing what?" Mike asked. "Do any of you know any saloon songs?"

"We could sing classics," Davy suggested.

"Yeah, the kind of crowd going there would not enjoy "Greensleeves"," Mike sighed.

"We have to do something," Peter said.

"I'm not really sure we should even trust her," Mike said. "I got a weird feeling from her. How did she know we were musicians? And what did she mean by "You know your history"? Something definitely is off about her."

"Maybe she's psychic," Piper said. "You notice she looked directly at me when she said "I have my ways." She's probably a psychic and knows I'm one too."

"Can we trust her?" Micky asked getting very worried.

"I don't really know," Piper answered. "She's not exactly a reputable citizen, which sends off untrustworthy vibes of its own. But that doesn't mean she's going to try and do anything to hurt us."

"So what do you think we should do?" Davy asked.

"We could always give it a shot," Piper said. "I can wait backstage and freeze the room in case something happens."

"You realize they are very trigger happy out here, right?" Mike asked. "If they don't like us, there's every chance they can shoot at us. Especially there."

"Hence why my freezing power would be helpful," Piper said.

"Still doesn't change the fact we don't know any songs they would like," Mike said.

"You do," Micky said. "What about "Never Tell a Woman Yes"? Take everything out but the piano and vocals and it sounds very Old West."

"He's right," Davy said. "I've always thought it was more western than most of the rest of your songs."

"We've never really practiced it much," Mike said. "And we don't have the music for it."

"I remember the piano part pretty well, though," Peter said.

"Alright, are you sure you guys wanna do this?" Mike asked.

"Like I said," Peter answered. "All we have to do is perform on stage. We don't have to deal with any of the clientele or anything like that. Just sing."

"Better than sleeping with the horses," Davy said.

"Alright," Mike said. "But I think we also need to keep an eye on that woman. Just in case."

"Agreed," Micky said glancing Piper worriedly. If this girl was psychic and knew that Piper was too, it could be very bad for her. It could be very bad for all of them. Micky really didn't want to run into another problem like they had before.


	54. Old West Show

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. Physics is brutal and annoying and headache inducing. But I take my final soon and summer school will be over. For a month until the fall semester starts again and I have Chemistry 2, Calculus 2, an anthropology class and a geology class. And since I got so many good reviews last chapter, I'll keep this up. I love reading reviews from people. It's the reason why I write these stories; otherwise they just bounce around in my head. It makes me smile whenever I see a new review, so please keep them up!

Chapter 54: Old West Show

Mike waited anxiously backstage for their turn to perform. He had never been nervous before doing a performance, but listening to all the drunk and borderline riotous men outside changed that. Davy was pacing nervously and Micky and Peter kept checking through the curtains and counting the number of guns in the room just beyond them. Piper just sat on a nearby chair with her eyes closed. Mike had no idea what she was doing, but she appeared to be almost meditating. None of that was really doing anything to help Mike's nerves any.

"Guys, will you cut that out please?" Mike finally said to Micky and Peter as they started counting the guns for the 7th time.

"Hey!" Peter exclaimed a little loudly causing Micky to pull Peter out of the way before someone saw them. "I saw her! The girl who told us to come here! She just walked in!"

"Wonder what she's doing here?" Davy asked stopping.

"No clue," Micky said. "Probably sizing us up."

"Why don't you and Davy go try and get close to her," Mike said. "Without being noticed. See if you can glean some information about what she's up to."

"Got it," Micky said.

"How exactly are we going to do that without being noticed?" Davy said.

"Be very sneaky," Mike said. "You guys are good at sneaky. I don't trust her and we need to figure out why. There's no way I'm letting something happen to one of you again."

"Come on, Davy," Micky said with that smile he got when he had a devious plan up his sleeve. Davy shook his head a little knowing what was probably in store for them and the two walked off stage.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Pete?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Peter answered. "You?"

"I think so," Mike said. "Piper, you doing ok? We're about to go on."

"Yeah, I was just trying to get a premonition of some sort," Piper answered opening her eyes and standing up.

"And?" Mike asked.

"And nothing," Piper sighed. "Something's blocking me."

"Something or someone?" Peter asked glancing in the direction of where the woman would be sitting.

"I have no idea," Piper admitted. "Could be her or it could be the fact that I usually see the future and we're in the past. There's no way for me to tell right now."

"Ok, well in the meantime, we just keep clear of her," Mike said. "And as long as you can still stop time in case someone decides to take a shot at us."

"Yeah, I definitely can," Piper said. "Just relax, guys. Nervousness will translate into a bad performance anyway, right? I'm sure you'll do fine and if not, I'll make sure you stay safe."

"Just stay in the wings," Mike said as the man Mike had spoken to earlier about performing came to speak with them.

"You boys ready?" he asked chipperly. "Weren't there four of you?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "But it's just me and Peter singing. They went to sit and watch."

"Alright," he answered. "Normally I give an audition, but since I was crunched for time...let's just say I really hope you're as good as you say you are."

"Me too," Mike whispered. The performer who'd been on stage left leaving the stage open for Mike and Peter. They walked over onto the stage and were met with various stares from the audience; some were curious, others already looked angry. Mike took a deep breath and nodded to Peter to begin playing.

"Oh, my, my, my," Mike started the song and scanned the audience looking both for Davy and Micky as well as the reactions of the audience members. "In a dusty caravan was a girl with a golden tan and she asked me if I was headed to the east. I politely stepped aside and said I did not need a ride; that I'd rather take my chances with the heat." He didn't see Micky and Davy right away, but he did notice the woman who'd told them about this gig in the audience. She was staring rather oddly at Mike as he sang. She smiled a bit, but it didn't seem to be a smile of pleasure. It was more of a smug, self-satisfied smile that sent chills down Mike's spine.

"Well, when she turned and walked away, I saw my big mistake," Mike continued looking for Micky and Davy and noticed the audience started to relax a little like they were enjoying it. "There were jewels on her body oh-so-rare. Had it been another day I just might have rode away with that woman riding off to God-knows-where." Finally Mike spotted Davy and Micky coming out of a side room and he nearly lost it and started laughing on stage. Davy was dressed as a woman once again with a fan in front of his face and Micky was wearing a very large cowboy hat with a bandana covering his face.

"So the years they came and went and found me living in a tent far above a little marble stream," Mike sang while watching Micky pull out a chair near the woman for Davy like he was trying to be a gentleman. "And it may have been the light that shone out through the night that attracted the hand scratching on my screen. When I cautiously looked out through the night there was no doubt that the owner of that hand was that girl." Mike watched as Micky scooted closer to the woman. The woman wasn't speaking at all or even sitting with anyone, so Mike was a little worried about how Micky was going to find any information. But he soon realized Micky was trying to get close enough to the woman to reach her purse without being noticed.

"So I bid her do come in and I'll open up a tin if you'll tell me 'bout your trip around the world," Mike continued moving around the stage to try and keep the woman's attention on him to make it easier for Micky. "Well, she said, "If you think back to the first time that we passed, I'm sure you'll picture me in all my jewels. It was shortly after then that I ran into another man and I asked him the same question I asked you. But now he, he didn't refuse and he took off both his shoes and climbed aboard my eastbound caravan." Mike watched as the crowd seemed to start getting into the song and really enjoy it, which was good for them; it meant their chances of being shot at were diminishing. It also meant no one was paying attention to Micky and Davy. Micky was finally able to reach the purse and slide it off the woman's chair without her noticing. So Mike continued and started moving to the other end of the stage to keep her attention away while Micky went through her purse.

"And in the twinkling of the night he had knocked me off the side and left me there for dead upon the sand," he continued with everyone continuing to watch him and ignore Micky. "And I thought that I was done lying naked in the sun, when much to my surprise, who should pass but this old friend of yours. He said he knew you from the wars and I told him that I thought you'd headed west. Well, he said he should have known, 'cause you like to be alone and that's the time I knew you were my one. So I asked him for a ride just to get here by your side and stay here above this stream out of the sun." Micky pulled things out of her purse carefully and looked at each item in turn.

"Well, we sat quite for a while and I began to smile," Mike sang wrapping up the song as Micky pulled a small folded up piece of paper out of her purse at the bottom and opened it up. His face lit up in surprise and shock when he read it. "And I said "Well it's strange but I don't care." And some nights when I'm at rest I wonder if I'd said, "yes" would she have come to me from God knows where. Or would I have been the one to leave her lying in the sun and then ended up with only precious stones or would the woman in my arms be giving me her charms if the answer that I gave her wasn't "no"." Mike finished the song and the members of the audience hooted and hollered their approval. Micky quickly stuffed everything back in her purse except the paper and put it back before anyone noticed. Mike and Peter bowed and made their way off stage with Piper as the audience continued to hoot and holler for their performance. When they gathered backstage Peter pulled Mike off to the side.

"Did he find anything?" Peter asked. "I glanced over once and saw him take her purse."

"Looked like he found a piece of paper," Mike answered. "He looked a little startled when he saw it. Let's go get our money and find him." They made their way over to the man who hired them and he handed them the money for a good performance.

"If you would like to perform again, you can always come back tomorrow night," he told them.

"Well we really only needed the money for a hotel room for a few nights until we get things in order and head on the road again," Mike answered.

"Well, that will get you enough for at least two nights at the Occidental hotel, if you don't buy food," the man said.

"I don't know if I know another song for..." Mike started.

"We'll think about it and get back to you," Piper said pushing Mike towards the door a little. Mike just smiled and walked toward where Peter was pushing him. He saw Micky and Davy coming out the back way back in the clothes they'd been wearing before. Micky ran toward them looking excited and nervous all at the same time.

"Not right now," Mike said as Micky opened his mouth to start telling them what he'd found. "Wait until we get somewhere private." Micky nodded and they headed off down the street back towards the hotel. Mike walked back up to the man at the counter and paid for a large room for all of them. Finally when they'd made their way up to their room on the second the five of them sat down and Micky pulled the paper out of his pocket.

"You made a gorgeous woman, Davy," Piper said with a laugh.

"Haha," Davy said rolling his eyes. "Those were the only two spare outfits that we could find that covered our faces. Still don't understand why Micky got to be the cowboy."

"Cause you're too short for it," Micky said with a slightly sinister smile. "The outfit never would have fit you. You're built more like a petite woman than I am."

"Watch it, Micky!" Davy warned.

"That doesn't really matter right now," Mike said trying to get to the important matters. "Let me see what you found."

"I found that in her purse," Micky said handing it to Mike. "Buried at the bottom. Everything else was normal stuff you'd find in a chick's purse."

"You went through her purse?" Piper admonished. "You really shouldn't have done that, Micky"

"What!?" Micky defended. "We have to find out what she's up to somehow and I'd say that's pretty good proof she's up to no good!"

"I meant that was really risky," Piper said. "What if she'd caught you? I wasn't paying attention to what you were doing because I was too concerned with watching for guns."

"Well, she didn't, so we're fine," Micky said.

"Piper, I think you should look at this," Mike said trying to stop any further argument. He handed her the paper with a shiver. All five of their names were written on it complete with a description and very crude drawing of each of them.

"That is not good," Davy said looking at it over her shoulder.

"You think the Devil gave that to her?" Peter asked peering at it as well.

"I don't know," Piper said. "There are some scribbles in the corner here. Looks like they're runes."

"Runes?" Davy asked.

"They're like letters of an magical alphabet," Piper answered. "You can cast runes in doing a fortune. All that means is that you throw stones or something with a rune etched into it and whatever arrangement they make on the ground is how the fortune is read. She probably wrote them down on this paper after casting so she'd remember them."

"What do these ones say?" Mike asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't know," Piper said. "I am not that well versed in runes. And I can't research it because I don't have my books."

"But Micky's right," Davy said. "She is clearly up to no good."

"Not necessarily," Piper said. "It's possible she just had a premonition about us or something and sketched these then cast runes in order to try and find more information about us."

"So we basically learned nothing from this," Davy sighed.

"Not necessarily," Mike said. "We confirmed that she is magical. We just need to keep lying low. We don't know if she's going to try and attack us."

"I don't know," Peter said. "I think that maybe she really is trying to help us. Why would she try and help us get that gig if she were trying to hurt us?"

"Peter does make a good point," Micky agreed. "I didn't see anything else in her purse. I'm inclined to go with Piper on this and say she just drew those after getting a premonition or something."

"Be that as it may, we still should still steer clear of her and lay low," Mike said. "We don't know anything for sure."


	55. Bribery

Author's Note: This is for MonkeeMidgie *wonderful author of Long Way Home* who is perhaps the only other person who knows more about the Monkees than I do, lol. Other than the Monkees and those involved with the project themselves. I got stuck on where I wanted to go with this story and she and I shot ideas around for about an hour before I felt happy with where its going to go. Thanks Midgie!

Chapter 55: Bribery

The next morning the boys woke up early to sort out their situation. Micky didn't sleep all that soundly, but he guessed none of the others had either. While Piper had assured them that more than likely the woman who had told them about the gig at the theater was just psychic and wasn't after them, Micky still had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. He wanted to still keep an eye on her but Mike was insistent on them staying low and keeping out of everyone's way. They had paid the hotel manager for at least one night but only had a little money leftover, however, so Micky realized they might have to perform at the theater again. They had enough for one more night, but not a whole lot leftover for food.

"What should we do about money for food?" Davy asked holding his stomach. Micky could swear he heard it grumble a little. "I mean, if we just have enough money left for another night and we don't know how long we'll be here, don't we need more money for food?"

"I really don't want to risk going on that stage again," Mike said. "I think we got lucky last night."

"They loved you, Mike," Peter said.

"I don't know any other songs that we could play and I doubt they'll be happy with me playing the same song," Mike said.

"Well, why don't we go around and try to find some odd jobs," Davy suggested. "I'm sure they always need help in the mines, right? We have more time to look today than we did yesterday anyway, which should help."

"Probably," Mike said. "But I don't know if I want us even leaving this hotel room."

"Why?" Micky asked though he thought he already knew the answer.

"I know you said that you thought that the woman was trustworthy, but I still have a bad feeling about it," Mike said looking at Piper.

"I understand," Piper answered nodding. "It's always good to trust your own instincts. But we can't just stay here. We need to eat and we need to get more money to do that."

"What do you guys think?" Mike asked looking at the others.

"I think we should split into pairs at least and try to get a little money," Peter said.

"Agreed," Davy said. "I'm starving. We should start with food."

"Mike why don't you and I go get some food and bring it back," Micky suggested. "On the way we can ask the manager if he knows anyone who needs a little work done."

"Alright," Mike agreed getting up off the bed. "You guys stay here. We'll be back later." Davy, Peter and Piper nodded before Micky and Mike made their way downstairs. They walked up to the managers desk and waited for him. The manager walked out of the office a moment later and toward the desk.

"How can I help you?" the manager asked with a smile.

"I know we talked to you yesterday, but we wanted to ask again," Mike started. "Do you know anyone who needs a little work done? Maybe in the mines? We need some good work to keep us going until we hit the road again."

"I don't really know, but you can go down to the assayer's office and ask him," the manager answered.

"Thanks," Mike answered. "We'll head over there after we get some food." The two walked away from the counter and headed across the street to the nearest saloon to order some breakfast. While they waited, Micky leaned against the bar facing the door and the rest of the saloon while Mike leaned toward the bar itself. He looked almost as if he could fall asleep right on the bartop.

"You alright, Mike?" Micky asked.

"Yeah," Mike mumbled half heartedly. "Just exhausted."

"I can imagine so after everything we've been through," Micky answered. "I'm sure this will all be over soon and we can get some much needed sleep back at the pad."

"I hope so," Mike muttered. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Micky nodded and went back to casually scanning the saloon. There really wasn't anyone in the saloon this early in the morning, but there were a few tables with people. They mostly looked as though they were just passing through and getting ready to leave again. Micky spotted movement outside of the swinging saloon doors and instinctively looked out. Over the top of the doors, he barely made out the face of the woman they'd run into the day before. What he saw after that made his blood run cold.

He pushed himself off the bar and walked slowly to the doors to check and make sure he really had seen what he thought he'd seen. Mike called after him, but Micky just ignored him and walked outside. When he stepped onto the wooden planks that acted as a sidewalk around the building, he turned in the direction he'd seen the woman walking in. Sure enough, there was a man walking just a few inches behind her; she was leading him somewhere. Micky watched for a second in shock and fear as the pair rounded a corner.

"Micky, what are you doing?" Mike asked walking up to him with a bag of food in his hand.

"I saw that woman," Micky answered.

"So?" Mike asked. "I thought we decided to steer clear of her."

"Yeah, well she wasn't alone," Micky said finally able to tell his feet to start off after them. "He was with her."

"He who?" Mike asked following.

"Who do you think?" Micky snapped back a little more gruffly than he'd meant. Mike didn't respond but instead picked up the pace so he was now striding next to Micky. With his longer legs, it was easy for Mike to catch up to the corner and peek around it. Micky and Mike saw the Devil walking with the woman toward a very old beat up looking building. She walked inside and he quickly followed her, but not before looking around him. Mike and Micky ducked back out of sight in time so the Devil didn't see them. Once they were sure the Devil was inside the building, they quickly made their way to it, unsure of what the two were up to.

When they reached the building, they peered in carefully through the windows. It took a few minutes, but they finally found the woman and the Devil. They sat below the window carefully trying to listen to the conversation between the two inside. The window was closed, but the voices still drifted out enough for the boys to pick up on what they were saying, though they had to strain to hear.

"Can you do it or not, Sophie?" the Devil asked.

"Perhaps," the woman, whose name was apparently Sophie, answered. "It's a very complicated spell, but I don't do anything for free, darling."

"Well, I can reward you handsomely if you do this," the Devil answered.

"And what happens if I do this and you leave me high and dry?" Sophie asked.

"You want your money up front?" the Devil asked. "Fine. I'll have to get the money. I don't exactly walk around with money in my pocket. I don't normally need it. The more important question is, can you do it?"

"I can try," Sophie answered. "Time travel is very tricky. I've never done it before and I don't know if I can even get all the ingredients."

"Let me worry about that," the Devil answered. "Just find the spell."

"And your friends?"

"Friends?"

"The others who came with you."

"They are not my friends. I don't care much what happens to them."

"You're really going to leave them here? They'll be stuck here."

"Once I get my powers back, I can come back for them."

"You won't be able to send them back to their own time even with your powers."

"Sure I will. If they sign a contract with me, I can do whatever I want with them. But that is none of your concern, now is it?"

"Of course not. I could really care less. I was just curious."

"Get the spell ready. Tell me what you need for it and I'll make sure you have it and your reward." Mike and Micky exchanged worried glances with each other and dashed off down the road before the Devil left the building and spotted them. They didn't say a word to each other until they reached the lobby of the hotel.

"This is bad," Micky breathed heavily.

"If he goes back to his own time without us, we'll be stuck here forever," Mike agreed.

"Not forever," Micky corrected. "Just until he decides to come back and screw with us to get us to sign his contract. Or until he kills us."

"Either way, we can't let her do that spell," Mike said.

"How do we stop her?" Micky asked.

"We need a plan," Mike said. "Let's go upstairs and tell the others." Micky nodded and the two raced upstairs. Micky must have thrown the door open a little too hard because Peter, Piper and Davy all jumped.

"What in the world is going on?" Piper asked jumping up from the bed.

"I thought you were just getting food?" Davy asked eyeing the bag Mike was still holding.

"We were," Mike answered tossing the bag at Davy. "But Micky spotted the woman from yesterday walking with the Devil so we followed them."

"Why?" Peter asked. "Don't you think that's just a little dangerous?"

"We were careful," Micky said. "We overheard them talking. She is a witch and he asked her to do a spell for him."

"What spell?" Piper asked getting worried.

"He wants her to send him back to our time," Mike answered. "She said she wasn't sure if she could do it."

"And she won't do it for free," Micky added. "He said he's going to gather up enough money to pay her and get the supplies she needs."

"How is he going to get the money for that?" Piper asked.

"No idea," Mike said. "But something tells me it won't be through legitimate means."

"He can't change history," Piper said. "It could mess everything up."

"We are well aware of that," Micky said. "So how do we stop him?"

"We need to figure out what he's planning," Piper said. "Did you see where he went?"

"No," Mike admitted. "We got out of there before he saw us."

"Why is this a bad thing?" Peter asked. "We could get sent home!"

"Peter, he's going to go alone," Micky said shaking his head slightly. "Once he gets his powers back, he's going to come back and try and get us to sign contracts in order to go home."

"Oh," Peter said looking fallen. "That's bad."

"We have to stop her from doing the spell," Piper said.

"Or at least convince her to send us all home," Davy muttered.

"No," Piper said firmly. "If there was a spell to send us home, don't you think I would have done it? There are spells for time travel, but they are intended for a purpose. Someone can send themselves back in time to fix something, but it will only work if they are meant to. There are spells to send someone forward in time, but only as a lesson or to gain other knowledge. There are rules for time travel and most spells won't work; they only work if "they" allow it."

"They?" Mike asked.

"The powers that be, so to speak," Piper answered. "Fate and destiny. "They" make the rules and enforce them. They don't dictate our lives, but they make things happen that push us towards a certain path. We still have free will and still make our own decisions, but there is truth to the saying that "everything happens for a reason"."

"So should we even worry?" Davy asked. "If "they" won't let it happen, we have nothing to worry about. Her spell won't work. If you can't send us home, she can't send him home."

"I can send us home, but it requires dark magic to do it," Piper answered solemnly. "I know you guys want to go home, but it's something I won't go anywhere near. I'm sorry."

"No one is asking you to," Micky said walking over and wrapping his arms around her.

"What does this dark magic spell require?" Mike asked. "Maybe we can just stop her from getting the ingredients."

"I'm not entirely sure without seeing the spell for myself," Piper answered. "But it usually requires blood sacrifice."

"Blood sacrifice?" Peter echoed.

"Let me guess: it's gotta be human blood, right?" Davy quipped irritably.

"It's not right to sacrifice animals any more than humans," Peter said sadly as though he were picturing it.

"No, it's not, Peter," Mike said. "Which is why we're going to stop her."

"How?" Davy asked. "We don't know what either of them are doing."

"We need to find out," Mike said. "Maybe we can just convince her not to do it."

"I doubt that," Davy muttered. "She sounds evil."

"I don't think so," Micky said. "I think she just doesn't care either way. She helped us; that's not evil. And she wasn't going to do this spell without incentive. She even said it; she doesn't do anything for free. With enough money, she'll do anything. She is a woman of the night, after all."

"I doubt we can out-pay the Devil," Peter said.

"No, but maybe we can appeal to her sense of humanity," Micky said looking between Mike and Peter. "Davy, Piper and I will try and track down the Devil and make sure he doesn't mess up history."

"Why do we have to go talk to the woman?" Peter asked blushing slightly. "Can't I go with you?"

"Because if anyone can convince her not to do this, it's the two of you," Micky answered. "She won't bite, Peter. Just make sure you knock before you go into her house."


	56. Playing a Game

Author's Note: Ok, a little help from the audience here. What time periods do you want to see the boys travel to and what do you want to have happen in them? I'm hitting a little roadblock here and invite the audience to help.

Chapter 56: Playing a Game

Micky walked with Davy and Piper for nearly an hour until they finally spotted the Devil walking into a nearby saloon. Micky led the way across the dirt street to follow him. They peered through the window to see what the Devil was up to before going in themselves. Micky saw the Devil make his way over to a table where several men were playing a game of poker. Micky suddenly realized what the Devil was trying to do but didn't think it was that bad.

"He's just gonna play poker for it?" Davy asked. "He's gonna win the money? Well, that's not that bad."

"It could be," Piper argued. "If he wins money that's meant to go to someone else or be used for another purpose. If he interferes, that could change history dramatically."

"We didn't change history that much when I was arrested," Davy pointed out.

"That town wasn't that important to history," Piper pointed out. "Tombstone is. It's a lot more heavily scrutinized by historians."

"Good point," Micky said.

"Besides that," Davy said also seeing her point. "We can't let him win that money; history changing or not. We can't let him pay that woman to get home without us."

"So do we have a plan?" Micky asked.

"We figure out how to make sure he loses," Davy said.

"We can't get that close to him, though," Micky pointed out. "He'll recognize us and flee."

"So we put on disguises," Davy said. "I just don't wanna be a woman again."

"Come back into the alley," Piper said leading them behind the saloon where no one would see them. "There's a glamour spell I can use to change our appearance. Hold still." Micky and Davy stood still in the alley once they were all sure that no one could see them. "Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the seen to be unseen." Micky felt a tingling sensation envelope his face and for a second all he saw was a bright light. When he could see through the light again he was a little surprised. Piper's normally vibrant red hair and green eyes had changed to blonde hair and blue eyes; her skin was even a little darker. Davy's hair had also turned blonde and his eyes lightened to bright blue and Micky snickered a little when he realized he'd even grown a few inches. If he didn't know that they had just been there seconds before, he wouldn't have recognized them.

"What are you laughing at?" Davy asked.

"You're taller," Micky answered.

"Why is that funny?" Davy asked. "I like being taller!"

"Don't get used to it, mate," Micky laughed. "It's temporary. What do I look like?"

"Blonde hair and green eyes," Piper answered. "He won't recognize us at all."

"I don't even recognize us," Davy laughed.

"Let's just hurry and get this over with," Micky said leading the way into the saloon the Devil had gone into. The three of them chose a seat near the table the Devil was sitting at, but not too close as to draw attention to themselves. The Devil had already started his game with 2 other very dangerous looking men. Micky wasn't sure how gambling was a good idea for the Devil to get his hands on the money to pay Sophia; after all, gambling was never a sure bet. The boys had learned that when they went to Vegas.

"I'll bet you he's going to try and cheat," Davy said as though he could read Micky's thoughts. "It's the only way he can ensure he wins, right?"

"How is he going to cheat without his magic?" Micky asked.

"Same way any other mortal cheats," Piper said.

"So do we stop him or expose him?" Micky asked.

"I say we expose him," Davy said.

"What if they try and shoot him?" Micky asked. "He's mortal now, right? So he could die. This isn't the crowd that's notorious for forgiving cheaters."

"Well, then we're just gonna have to save him," Piper said.

"Save the man trying to destroy us," Davy muttered angrily. "That'll be the highlight of my day."

"I know its not ideal," Piper started, "but we can't get back home without him. We just have to face that. But if we just stop him from cheating now, he's going to keep trying. If we expose him, the whole town will know it and no one will gamble with him."

"Did anyone say we have to like this plan?" Davy asked rhetorically. The game was well under way already and the Devil had already won a little bit of money. A woman came by to take their drink order while the three of them watched the game trying to do so inconspicuously. Knowing a few cheating tricks, Micky watched the Devil's hands and noticed something poking out from his sleeve; he was hiding cards up his sleeve.

"Ok, so he's got aces up his sleeve he's using," Micky said. "How do we expose that? We aren't exactly part of the game."

"Why don't you become part of the game and then accuse him," Piper said.

"Cause I don't want to get killed," Micky said.

"You won't," Piper smiled. "Relax. I've got your back, remember."

"I know," Micky said. "I'm just worried you won't be fast enough."

"Me too," Davy muttered.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Micky," Piper said softly before leaning over and giving him a deep kiss. Any further objections Micky may have had melted away as her lips met his. When she pulled away, he could still feel her breath on his lips, further silencing him. "I love you. You're safe with me. Go stop him."

"Ok," was all he could make come out. Piper smiled at him as he walked over to the table and tried to act as casual and tough as he could. "Deal me in."

"Sure," one of them men said after eyeing him. "Deal 'im in." Micky sat and waited for his cards. He could feel the Devil eyeing him, as though looking through him and briefly Micky wondered if their magical camouflage had failed them somehow. He glanced briefly over at Piper and Davy to make sure they still looked different.

"Don't think I've ever seen you 'round here," the second man said dealing them all their cards.

"I'm not from around here," Micky answered. "Just passing through." Once everyone had their cards, silence fell over as they concentrated on their hands. The Devil once again won that hand. Micky knew that it wouldn't be good to accuse the Devil after the first hand of cheating; he'd have to wait. So it wasn't until after 5 other winning hands that Micky finally said something.

"You got some luck there, my friend," Micky said to the Devil as they were all dealt a new hand and cringing inwardly at having to say that word.

"I guess," the Devil snorted back.

"I mean, you've won the last five hands in a row," Micky continued looking at his cards. "I've been playing since I was a kid and never seen someone that lucky."

"What can I say?" the Devil sneered. "I guess it's my lucky day."

"Lucky..." Micky said as he threw some chips into the center of the table to place his bet. "Or something else."

"What are you saying?" the Devil asked eyeing him further.

"You have been winnin' a lot of hands," the dealer said eyeing him closely now.

"I'm saying you must be cheating," Micky said bravely.

"Cheating!?" the Devil roared and jumped up from the table making it shake. Micky wasn't sure if the Devil was just getting caught up in the atmosphere or letting his anger get the best of him.

"Yeah," Micky said trying to remain calm. "Cheating! You got an ace up your sleeve!"

"How dare you!" the Devil roared again and lunged for Micky. Suddenly, the Devil and everyone else in the room froze as Piper threw up her hands.

"Why'd you do that?" Micky asked.

"To save you from getting punched in the face," Piper answered.

"Maybe you should let him," Micky said.

"Why?" Davy asked.

"These people thrive on violence," Micky said. "Once a fight breaks out, he won't be able to hide the cards. I can make sure his sleeve rips and expose them. They'll know he's cheating and throw him out."

"If they don't just shoot him," Piper said.

"Well, then you can freeze the room," Micky said. "And make sure that he doesn't get hit by a bullet."

"Micky, are you insane!?" Davy exclaimed.

"Maybe," Micky answered laughing a little. "Just do it!" With a sigh, Piper un-froze the room and Micky jumped out of the way to avoid being tackled by the Devil. He quickly recovered, however, and whirled on Micky who punched him and grabbed his arm. Micky felt the sleeve rip and felt the cards fall from inside the sleeve.

"You were cheating!" the dealer roared in anger reaching for his gun.

"I don't think there's any need for that," Micky said quickly. "He's not good enough to waste a bullet. Why don't we just throw him out?" The Devil didn't wait for a response from the two men; he took Micky by surprise and knocked him to the ground. Micky felt pain erupt in his face as he fell over onto the chair.

"Micky!" Davy cried running over to Micky with Piper. Micky looked up as Piper and Davy helped him up and saw the two men grab the Devil and drag him out as he got a stunned look on his face. Micky couldn't help himself; despite the pain in the whole left side of his face, he smiled at the Devil letting him know Davy's slip using his name wasn't just a coincidence. The Devil's face contorted in rage as he realized that once again, the Monkees had managed to thwart him.

* * *

Mike led Peter over to the house they'd just left where Sophia left. He was hoping that she'd still be there when they showed up so they wouldn't have to hunt her down. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say to her, but he kept running through different scenarios in his mind. Piper had told them all sorts of information about what the spell might do so they could use that information to try and persuade her, but he wasn't sure it was going to work. He could only hope it would. They finally reached her front door, and Mike knocked on the door.

"Hello," Sophia said a moment later opening the door. "Its you; the musicians."

"Yes, we actually wanted to talk to you about that," Mike said. "Can we come in?"

"I was actually on my way to meet someone," she smiled.

"This won't take very long," Mike said.

"Time is money, darling," she said pushing past them after closing the door behind her.

"Ok," Mike said pulling what was left of their money out of his pocket. "Here; now you have to talk to us." She stopped and looked at them for a moment. Finally she took the money from Mike's outstretched hand and shoved it down the front of her dress before walking back into her house.

"Alright," she said pulling out a few chairs at her dining table for them to sit in. "Talk."

"We know what you are," Mike said sitting down next to Peter.

"It's not that hard to figure out," Sophie laughed.

"Not that," Mike said. "You're psychic. And a witch."

"What are you going to do, burn me?" she asked.

"No," Mike answered. "You obviously know that because you know who we are. We know the Devil offered you a deal to do a spell to send him home without us."

"How did you find out about that?" she asked. "I blocked your friend from getting any premonitions about me. I don't like other people kicking around my head uninvited."

"That really doesn't matter," Mike said. "What matters is that you can't do this. You could very well hurt yourself if the spell doesn't work and backfires."

"I won't hurt myself," she smiled. "I know what I'm doing."

"So you know that time travel spells are dangerous," Mike pushed.

"Not if you know what you're doing," she answered.

"If you take his money, you could be changing history," Mike tried. "You could be doing a lot more damage to the universe than you realize."

"Look, you boys don't know who you're talking to or what you're getting involved in," she said getting angry and standing up. "I'll do whatever I please. You need to leave now."

"But we paid you," Peter said speaking up finally. "You have to listen to us."

"Honey, you didn't pay for the kind of service I offer," she said snidely. "But if you'd like, my room is over there."

"No," Peter said quickly with a slight blush crossing his cheeks. "We paid you for your time. Please listen to us. I understand you need money, but you have to think about what you're doing here. If you help him, you'd be hurting us. Do you really want to do that?"

"Who said I cared about you?" she asked angrily. "What have you ever done for me?"

"What have we ever done to you?" Peter asked. "We are innocent in all of this. He wants nothing more than to ruin our lives if not kill us. Please; there has to be something in you that doesn't want to hurt us." The woman just stared at Peter for a moment or two.

"You have such a sweet and pure heart," she said finally. "I've never met a man like you. All the men I've ever met are either too preoccupied with their guns and riches or too busy chasing women like me. You don't care about any of that."

"We just want to get home," Peter said. "We want to go back to our music and friends. And we can't do that if you help him."

"And I'm guessing you don't want me to do the spell for all of you?" she asked.

"Piper told us that the spell is bad," Peter said.

"Bad?" Sophie echoed.

"That it could potentially require some sort of sacrifice," Mike clarified.

"Yes and no," she said. "It requires a human heart."

"You have to kill someone!?" Peter exclaimed looking like he was going to be sick.

"No," Sophie smiled eerily. "People die around here every day."

"Either way, no," Mike said. "You cannot do this spell. Not for the Devil and not for us."

"Please," Peter pled. She seemed to think it over even further.

"Alright," she said finally. "But only because you are such a pure hearted person. Don't change, sweetheart. Not for anything or anyone." Mike sighed and smiled happily. They had managed to convince her not to help the Devil and it really hadn't been as hard as Mike had thought. He only hoped that Piper, Micky and Davy were having as much luck keeping the Devil from doing anything that might hurt someone else or change history.


	57. A Softer Landing

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I've been preoccupied with my other fics and lost on this one. Thanks again, though, to Midgie for the idea. And to the fans for their requests.

Chapter 57: A Softer Landing

"What happened to your face!?" Peter asked walking through the door to their hotel room. Micky was holding a cloth against the left side of his face and his clothing was a little bloody. Peter's heart sank wondering what had happened to his friend.

"It's fine," Micky said through a partially swollen mouth.

"Doesn't look fine to me," Mike said walking over to inspect Micky. Peter bit his lower lip waiting for Mike to say something.

"Mike, I'm fine," Micky said though Mike pushed his hand out of the way to look at his face better. "It's just a little bump and scrape."

"You're swollen and bloody," Mike said.

"He got into a fight with the Devil," Davy said. "He was planning on cheating at a game of poker for the money and Micky called him out on it. Piper changed our appearances so the Devil didn't recognize it, but the Devil got pissed that Micky accused him of cheating and attacked him. Micky broke a chair when he fell on it."

"He'll heal in time," Piper said. "Just have a pretty busted up face for a while."

"Yeah, but you still love me," Micky smiled only to wince in pain.

"I don't know," Piper laughed. "With a face like that, I might have to give Davy a shot."

"Hey!" Micky exclaimed as Davy stifled a laugh. Peter felt relieved knowing that even though Micky was in pain, he was still able to banter and have fun. He'd be ok.

"What happened with Sophie?" Piper asked after giving Micky a kiss on his good cheek.

"Well, we convinced her to do the right thing," Mike said.

"I feel bad for her though," Peter said sitting on one of the beds. "It seems as though she's had a lot of people mistreat her over the years. She doesn't care about right and wrong anymore because no one has ever showed her the difference."

"Peter, that's none of our concern," Mike said. "Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for her, too, but we can't change history. Which means we can't change her. As much as we may want to help, we can't. Who knows how important she will be to history."

"I know, but I still feel bad," Peter said.

"That's ok, Peter," Piper smiled. "That just shows how big your heart really is."

"That's Pete," Davy said with a smile making Peter blush a little. "Heart of gold."

"So we won?" Micky asked smiling only to wince in pain once again.

"You should stop doing that, Micky," Piper said.

"Micky will never stop smiling," Mike laughed. "And yes, we won."

"Devil never saw it coming!" Davy cheered a little. "Not until the end when I said Micky's name. He realized who we were and was furious. We kicked his sorry little but again!"

"Relax, there, Davy," Mike said. "We haven't yet won the war."

"What happens now?" Peter asked.

"No idea, Peter," Mike answered. "Guess we just wait around until we get sucked into the next time travel hole or whatever."

"Waiting is fun," Davy mumbled sarcastically. But they waited around nonetheless. They didn't have enough money for another night, so Peter hoped that somehow they would get to leave before then. After a while, they were forced to check out and as much as Mike wanted to, they couldn't come up with any more money for another hotel room.

"Well, what do we do now?" Davy asked as they wandered the city. It was getting dark, so whatever they decided on, they'd have to do it fast.

"We don't have time to try and come up with more money," Mike said.

"Well, we could always rough it," Micky said.

"What about the snakes and the scorpions and other bugs?" Davy asked nervously.

"I could probably conjure up some tents," Piper said. "Those should keep us safe from any critters like that."

"It'll be just like camping!" Micky said trying to get them all enthusiastic about it.

"Aren't you supposed to camp in the woods or something?" Davy asked.

"How do you think these guys did it when they first came out here, Davy?" Mike asked. "Besides, we really don't have much of a choice here. Let's just make sure to do it away from town to make sure we aren't seen by anyone." Once they reached the edge of town, they walked a little farther until Mike found a good spot. Despite more of Davy's protests, they all ultimately decided this was their only option.

Piper conjured up a tent for Peter and Davy to share and another for her, Mike and Micky. Peter sat under the sky for a while just staring at the stars. He really enjoyed the beauty of it and wished that he could enjoy this longer. In the city, you didn't see the sky like this so he wouldn't be able to enjoy it when they got home. After a while, Davy joined him for a while before Peter finally felt tired enough to try and sleep.

At sunrise the next morning, however, Peter woke up to the feeling of the ground shaking beneath him. For a moment, he thought it was an earthquake, but soon realized it was another time vortex. Peter braced himself for another hard landing, only to realize he landed in something soft this time. He heard several "oomphs" from his friends as they landed near him.

"Everyone ok?" Mike asked.

"Fine," Micky said. "Soft landing this time."

"Fine," Piper agreed.

"Are we in a dirty laundry pile?" Davy asked. "Gross."

"Hey, at least it's better than the steel floor," Mike said rubbing his backside.

"You ok, Mike?" Peter asked getting up and looking around.

"Fine," Mike answered. "Just a little sore. I'll get over it."

"Where are we?" Micky asked as they all looked around the room. Peter looked around and saw the walls and floors were made of steel. There were dozens of bins filled with sheets and other articles of clothing.

"A laundry room," Peter answered. "An industrial laundry room of some sort."

"Yeah, but where?" Davy asked. "And when?"

"I don't feel good," Mike said clutching his stomach.

"Mike?" Peter asked.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Mike said.

"Why are you sick?" Davy asked.

"How should I..." Mike answered then stopped and dropped to his knees.

"Mike!" the four of them exclaimed and rushed to side.

"Breathe," Micky said.

"I'm gonna be sick," Mike said.

"He feels fine," Piper said pressing her hand against his forehead.

"Ok, let's just lay down," Davy said clearing a space on the floor for Mike.

"Davy, stay here with Mike," Micky said as Mike curled up on the floor clutching his stomach. "We're gonna go take a look around and see what we can figure out. I have a feeling we're on a ship of some sort."

"Why do you say that?" Piper asked.

"He gets seasick," Micky answered. "Metal walls and if you listen carefully, you can hear groaning of steel."

"Oh yeah," Peter said listening and hearing the groaning Micky was talking about.

"I can try a few spells to cure seasickness," Piper said. "You two go."

"Ok," Micky said as he and Peter walked toward the single door in the whole room. Peter took one last glance at Mike and followed Micky out of the room. The hallway was much more lavishly decorated. The walls were encased in mahogany planks with gold trim. The floors were a light pinewood and waxed to perfection.

"Swanky," Peter said.

"Let's just hope our outfits aren't too dated," Micky said as they crept along the hallway. They walked down the hallway until they came to a stairwell. Just inside, they found a map showing they were indeed aboard a ship. The name of the ship was obscured, however, by a smudge. Micky tried to rub it away, but it wouldn't.

"I think it's paint," Peter said. "Probably some kids messing around."

"What gets me is there's no one in the halls," Micky said.

"Maybe its the middle of the night," Peter shrugged. "Should we go up?"

"Yeah," Micky said. "I don't want to stray too far from Mike, but it would be best for us to find out when and where we are." Together they climbed up the stairs making sure to remain quiet. When they reached the door to the Saloon Deck, they heard voices on the other side of it.

"Everything's clear here, sir," said one of the voices.

"Where is he?" said a second voice sounding very frustrated.

"I don't know, but the stairwells were all checked," said the first voice. "Maybe the passengers were mistaken. I mean, they did say he appeared out of thin air and it is the middle of the night. They could have had a nightmare."

"It's possible," answered the second voice. "But do another sweep just to make sure."

"Should we tell Captain Smith?" asked the first voice.

"No," answered the second voice. "I can handle this. No need to wake him. Especially if they were just having nightmares. Just go check everything again to put their minds at ease."

"Yes, Sir," said the first voice before Peter heard footsteps fading away.

"Think they're looking for the Devil?" Peter asked softly.

"Probably," Micky whispered. "Especially if he appeared out of thin air. I just hope he's not causing too much turmoil here."

"Should we do something?" Peter asked.

"Best to figure out the situation first," Micky answered. They were about to walk through the door when another voice cut through and stopped them. They didn't want to be seen yet.

"Mr. Lightoller!" yelled the voice. "What in God's name is going on?"

"No need to worry yourself, Mr. Turner," the second man's voice said, presumably Mr. Lightoller. "We have everything under control."

"Why are your men searching up and down the halls in the middle of the night?" Mr. Turner demanded. "My wife is very tired and would like some sleep!"

"I understand that, Mr. Turner," Mr. Lightoller answered. "And I apologize if my men were being too loud for her. We did receive a report of a suspicious man roaming the halls and we are searching the premises for him. There is nothing to worry about. Please go back to your room."

"We paid a lot of money for this trip," Mr. Turner said. "And I have breakfast with Mr. Ismay in the morning."

"I know that, Mr. Turner," Mr. Lightoller said. "Please go back to your room. We will be done very soon." Mr. Turner finally walked away and Mr. Lightoller started walking towards them. They exchanged a worried look and ran back down the stairs toward the laundry room before Mr. Lightoller saw them.

"Peter," Micky said worriedly once they exited the stairwell. "Mr. Ismay wouldn't be...would it?"

"Normally, I might say maybe," Peter answered growing just as worried. "But Lightoller and Captain Smith? I think we're in a lot of trouble."

"We need to tell Mike," Micky said dashing off toward the laundry room. Peter followed closely behind and burst into the laundry room to find Mike finally sitting up looking a lot less green than he had before.

"What's wrong?" Davy asked looking at their worried expressions.

"I think we are in a lot of trouble," Peter answered. "I think we're on the Titanic."


End file.
